Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
Dreamspinner Press www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Copyright ©2010 by Felicitas Ivey First published in 2010, 2010 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.
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Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
CONTENTS Foreword Acknowledgments Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Don't Miss the Beginning Published by ****
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Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
**** This book is for Robert Ivey, my father, who showed me there wasn't anything I couldn't do. His love for reading had no boundaries, and he made sure that I had none. Thank you for everything you've done for me and the pride you had in my writing by reading my first two books. I just wish you could read this one too.
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Foreword When Dreamlands first came out, I was surprised my family read it. Not that it was a bad book—it was just I didn't think it would be to their taste, being a gay fantasy in a Japanese setting. I was very surprised, even a bit shocked, that my stepmother's sister, Sister Thomas, read the book and enjoyed it, skipping over the naughty words and bits, of course. But this sweet, eighty-plus-year-old nun told me she only had one problem with my novel, and it wasn't the gay sex (she had skipped those parts; she does that in all the romances she reads). It was the fact that she got very confused about who all these people were and how they were related. So this is for you Sister T: a list of who's who in the Trust and the Dreamlands. The Japanese names are family name first, then given name. Cast of Characters The Trust Mason Kairns Trouble Consultant, avatar of Inumura Daikaku Wolf Dieter Trouble Consultant, avatar of Inuyama Dousetsu Caitlynn McGann Staff Psychologist, Boylston Street, a psychic Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart-Adams Trustee Collins (deceased) Sent team to the Dreamlands the first time 5
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Fairinox (deceased) Opened gate to the Dreamlands the first time Heisig (deceased) Man who tortured Keno at the Trust The Dreamlands Tamazusa A lord of a kuni in Nippon Samojirou Aboshi Her consort, an oni Inuzaka Keno His lover, Hakkenshi, avatar of first Inuzaka Keno Sakura Keno's secret identity Tan'yu Tamazusa's healer Okita Tamazusa's master-at-arms Takehito One of Tamazusa's samurai Tadanori One of Tamazusa's samurai Yukiko A maid in Tamazusa's estate Yoshinoko Courtesan who trained Keno as a tayuu Fuse Spiritual Mother of the Hakkenshi Yatsufusa Spiritual Father of the Hakkensh Inuzaka Keno Hakkenshi, Samojirou's lover, now deceased Inusuka Shino Hakkenshi Inusuka Hamaji Shino's wife Farusawa One of Inusuka's samurai Inukawa Sousuke Hakkenshi Inukai Genpachi Hakkenshi Inuyama Dousetsu Hakkenshi Inuta Konbungo Hakkenshi Inue Shinbee Hakkenshi Inumura Daikaku Hakkenshi Inumura Hinaginu Daikaku's wife Noma One of Inumura's samurai 6
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Iida Hideaki Lord of Tsushima, a small island Mawatari Kappei Iida's samurai guard Sazuki Iyusa Lord of a large kuni on the island of Kyushu Takaneda Kosaburou Daimyo on eastern shore of Tamazusa's kuni [Back to Table of Contents]
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Acknowledgments While writing a book is usually a solitary venture, getting one published is not. I'd like to thank everyone who helped that happen. A huge thank you to Elizabeth at Dreamspinner Press for taking a chance on me and publishing my first book, which is the prequel to this one. To Lynn and her team of editors for polishing my baby for publishing and going over the manuscript for both grammar and continuity. Any mistakes made are mine and not theirs. To Anne Cain for her wonderful cover art that brought Keno and Aboshi to life for lots of people. Big thank yous to Mark, Ed, and Tim for the long walks around Castle Island and letting me bounce ideas off them and arguing with me about plots and logic and listening to me babble about my research. A huge additional thank you to Ed for his lifesaving effort of looking over and editing my manuscript as both a work in progress and as the final product before I submitted it to Dreamspinner Press. Thanks to my family for their support and their excitement that I was published. And as always, I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of the husband. Thank you, Russ. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter One Keno I glanced over at Tamazusa. She was dressed in a kimono a shade of black that seemed to absorb light. Samojirou wore an indigo kimono and was her escort for this gathering. I trailed behind the two of them, dressed as Sakura, my feminine persona, my kimono and obi as colorful as theirs were dark, various shades of gold and red, with many layers and my obi tied in front. The only concession to the party being outdoors was that I wore small geta, not the tall ones I usually wore, which were the kind all tayuu wore. I still dressed as one when I went anywhere with Samojirou. Aboshi and I had been together for more than a year now, and we had become a familiar sight to the lords of Nippon. But Tamazusa accompanying us was unusual, and she created a small stir when people started to recognize her. Tamazusa looked relaxed and happy, and Samojirou was thrilled she was here. Even if I had lost Samojirou's undivided attention for the evening, I was glad she had come with us, since I thought Tamazusa spent far too much time alone. We were here to attend a sakura—cherry blossom—party, since it was the beginning of their bloom. There were any number of parties going on in Nippon, scattered all over the island, in celebration of the event, and I knew our entire week would be devoted to attending as many as possible. Samojirou was able to take us anywhere we needed or wanted to go using his ability to walk the shadows. It was an advantage few of 9
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the other lords had, and Tamazusa had decided to take advantage of it. "Sakura-chan, attend us," Samojirou said as they settled into a corner of the orchard. Two tatami mats had been laid out underneath a couple of cherry trees, along with a low table. The three of us were to sit and admire the flowers' beauty. While we were doing that, Tamazusa would also be playing the Game, and Samojirou would watch over us. Samojirou's words sounded like an order, but I didn't mind, knowing Samojirou and Tamazusa trusted me to guard them as well as serve them. They would play the Game— which was, to me, an incomprehensible combination of scheming and power plays most of the lords of Nippon participated in—and I would be observe them, silent and unseen, in a manner of speaking. Lesser beings usually were, even in this outfit. I nodded and bowed deeply to him. We were still working with the "no speaking in public" rule. I got a kick out of it, really. I was also nervous that I would slip somehow and embarrass him if I actually talked to people. But Samojirou's mysterious, mute companion intrigued people, so we continued with the charade. There were a lot of wild theories about me, and I was grateful that none of them even came close to the truth. I glided over to where the basket with the sake, tea, and snacks had been left for us. It was supposed to be someone else's job to serve, but I wasn't going to let anyone else near them. Tamazusa was here to relax, mostly; but she'd never stop playing the Game, and having someone else serve her, 10
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someone who might overhear an important remark, not meant for his or her ears, would put her on guard. I was making my way back from the area where the refreshments were located when an older samurai stepped into my way. I looked up at him, my head tilted down, peeking up at him through my lashes. I recognized his mon, the crests all samurai wore to identify their rank, clan, and family, as belonging to a lord from the far south of Nippon. He was named Iida Hideaki, Lord of Tsushima, an island off the coast. I had memorized the mon for all the lords of Nippon, so I knew who they were, even if I didn't talk to them. He stared at me for a moment before stomping off. I hesitated a second before returning to Samojirou and Tamazusa, confused about exactly what had happened. "That was interesting," Tamazusa said with a small frown. "I wonder what issue he has?" "Rude," Samojirou drawled, his eyes hard and flat for a moment before smiling at me. "That was most insulting to our Sakura-chan." I bowed to them before starting to set out the snacks and sake. Samojirou looked like he wanted to kiss me. Tamazusa shook her head at the two of us as she asked, "I take it that everything is arranged?" "Of course, my lady," he said smoothly. "Would I have it any other way?" "You wouldn't," she told him with a smile. She sat down gracefully, elegant in a way I could never hope to match. Samojirou moved behind her, and I continued to serve the two of them. 11
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One of the lords came over to speak to Tamazusa, accompanied by his concubine. She sneered at me for doing what she considered to be such a menial task, one that a tayuu left to others. I stared back at her with a cool smile. I knew what my worth was. I saw that her clothing wasn't as fine as mine, and I thought she was either a temporary companion or one only worthy of short-term contracts, perhaps an oiran or even one of the other lower-class concubines. "Lord Sazuki," Tamazusa purred, "It has been too long since I enjoyed your company." He bowed. "Your beauty has grown over time." Sazuki Yoshinobu was a high lord who ruled a large kuni that was part of the island of Kyushu in southern Nippon. He had a very formidable wife, and they lived very separate lives, from what I have been told. I thought it was very odd that Tamazusa and Samojirou seemed to have a better relationship than most married couples. "You flatter me," Tamazusa said. I noticed his companion wasn't bold enough to sneer at her and hid my smile. Tamazusa wasn't someone who she would dare act snobbish with as she had to me. "I see that you have added to your household," Sazuki said with an empty smile, fishing for information. That was stupid, since it wasn't like Samojirou and I hadn't spent the last year together. Or did he think I was a different person than the one who had accompanied Samojirou everywhere? "A pretty little thing." 12
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"Sakura-chan is dear to Samojirou-sama," Tamazusa told him with a chilly smile. "As he is to me." Sazuki nodded, realizing he was coming close to insulting both Tamazusa and Samojirou. While not a lord, Samojirou was a very powerful oni, someone to be feared for any number of reasons. I was just wondering about which he Tamazusa was talking about: Samojirou or myself? Nothing was said for a moment until someone else stopped by to talk with us. I wasn't surprised to see that it was Fuse, and her consort Yatsufusa, since she was very fond of Samojirou. Fuse was dressed in a rich, deep pink kimono, looking no older than sixteen, even if she was wearing a kimono of a married woman for once. Yatsufusa, as usual, appeared as the dog he had been in the real world, one of the ones that had been caught up in Tamazusa's curse. "Samojirou-sama," she called out, ignoring the tension in the air. "We are looking forward to viewing the blossoms with you." Yatsufusa drew back his lips in a half-snarl at Samojirou, but that was normal. He loathed Samojirou for a number of reasons. But he wasn't going to cause a scene if Fuse said they were going to be visiting with Tamazusa and Samojirou. Sazuki raised an eyebrow at Fuse, and she smiled coolly at him. "Samojirou-sama mentioned that he would be here when we met at an ikebana exhibit two weeks ago. Yatsufusa-sama decided to accompany me, since some of our sons would be here also. He also enjoys the blossoms." "It is always an honor to be with you, hime," Sazuki said stiffly, knowing better than to comment upon Samojirou's and 13
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Fuse's relationship, as they were friends, having many interests in common. Besides, while people may have said many things about the two of them, everyone also knew Samojirou wasn't interested in women. My being dressed as one, as a tayuu, was thought to be an amusement for him and not the disguise it really was. And I knew both Samojirou and Tamazusa hoped I wasn't aware of why I needed to be disguised. "And all your sons are always amusing." "Shino-chan and Sousuke-chan," Fuse said, thawing slightly with Sazuki. "I fear not all my sons are interested in such things." "And will the charming Hamaji-dono be with them?" Tamazusa asked with a warm smile, using the older honorific for "lady" for Hamaji. "She will be," Fuse said. "She's looking forward to the party." I almost smiled at that. I liked Hamaji. We had met when Fuse took me for a two-week stay at my brother Shino's kuni when we had all gotten back from the real world after the Trust had taken me by force from the Dreamlands and Samojirou, Tamazusa, and my family, the Hakkenshi, banded together to rescue me and stop the threat from the Trust. As part of that trip, I had been introduced to my brothers, the Hakkenshi, again, but as Keno, not Sakura. It hadn't been the most comfortable trip for me, but it had been interesting. I got used to the idea that I had a family again, more than just Tamazusa and Samojirou. My brothers had to get used to the idea that I was going to continue to live with my lord and my lover, as unhappy as it seemed to make some of them, 14
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Shinbee and Dousetsu in particular. They hated that I stayed with Samojirou as Sakura rather than living with them as their dead brother's avatar. But no one argued with me when Fuse, my brothers' mother, made it clear that she approved of my relationship with Samojirou and that I would continue to be Sakura to the rest of the Dreamlands. Hamaji had been the only one who had not argued with Fuse about it. In fact, she had made a joking comment that having another "girl" in the family would make it easier on her. Aside from her husband, my brother Daikaku seemed to be the only one involved with a woman, even if they didn't seem to be living with each other. Not that I thought that the Hakkenshi were all gay or something, but I thought they were like Mason and Wolf, guys more involved in their work at the Trust than relationships. Most of my brothers were lords in Nippon, like Tamazusa and Sazuki. The ones who were not were still powerful men to be feared, like Samojirou. There was a pregnant pause, the silence almost becoming uncomfortable, when Shino, Sousuke, and Hamaji joined us. Shino and Sousuke were dressed as mirror images of one another, in black and red kimono and hakama. Hamaji was also in a deep-red and black formal kimono, her hair arranged in a formal style. It was a shock to see her like that, since she had usually worn her hair in a ponytail and dressed in very simple kimono during the time I stayed with them in Shino's castle. "Mother," she called out excitedly. "I was hoping to see you here." 15
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Shino and Sousuke were a bit more restrained in their greeting, bowing to Fuse and Yatsufusa, then Tamazusa and Samojirou, before nodding to me. "Please forgive my wife," Shino said dryly. "We don't let her out of my castle too often." Hamaji frowned at him, while Sousuke just smiled. Yatsufusa let out a little snort of amusement and Fuse smiled back at Hamaji. "You do know Sazuki-sama?" Hamaji bowed deeply to him, suddenly formal. "I am honored to meet you," she murmured. She also bowed to Tamazusa and Samojirou. "I am glad to see friends of Mother here too!" "You must see if you can join us at the next ikebana exhibit," Samojirou said with a smile. "And this is my companion, Sakura-chan." Hamaji blinked a couple of times and bowed. I bowed back, all very proper and formal. She smiled at me and announced, "I adore your kimono. I must have one like it." Shino and Sousuke groaned as one, while Sazuki's companion sneered openly. Hamaji ignored all of them to smile at me, recognizing me under all the makeup I was wearing, since I was dressed as a tayuu, a concubine, someone no proper Japanese wife wanted to know about, never mind dress like. "Hamaji—" Shino started. "We'll talk about it later," Fuse promised her, glaring at her sons. "Now is the time that we need to be decorative and admire the flowers." 16
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I almost laughed at that one. Fuse played the Game almost as much as Tamazusa did. Sazuki and his companion moved off after a few more pleasantries. Fuse looked at Yatsufusa, and he snorted and sat down. "I will be honored if you would all join us," Tamazusa said. "Of course we're staying," Hamaji told her firmly. "If only to start a whole host of new rumors," Fuse added with a smile. I spent the rest of the night serving them. Sousuke looked like he wanted to say something, but a look from Shino quieted him. Samojirou and Fuse made sure the conversation didn't lag between the visits of the other lords. I wasn't surprised to see that we seemed to be a popular group. I knew many of the lords were trying to figure out if Tamazusa and Fuse were negotiating some sort of an alliance after so many centuries of frigid politeness. It didn't help that whenever someone outside our group seemed to be near us, Fuse extolled the virtues of one of her unmarried sons. It was toward the end of the evening that Sousuke finally brought up the topic that had been bothering him all evening, from the looks that he had been giving me. I was pouring him more sake when he grabbed my sleeve. "How can you act like this?" he asked. I was relieved he didn't use my name, and so for a moment I didn't get angry. And then I did. It didn't matter that he was a little tipsy or that he was family, he had no right really to question my choices. At least not so publicly. "Sousuke," Shino hissed. 17
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Samojirou glared at him, and I said nothing. That seemed to make Sousuke even angrier. "How can you let him do this to you?" Sousuke continued. "Come back with us!" "No," I softly snarled at him, angry that he had ruined the evening by doing this. "Samojirou-sama—" "We are leaving now," Shino announced. Hamaji was glaring at Sousuke, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach about the fight I knew the three of them were going to have when they got someplace private. Fuse threw an apologetic glance at Tamazusa, who nodded at her. Something passed between them that I didn't understand. Shino, Sousuke, and Hamaji left, their goodbyes formal and stiff. I was a bit stunned at what had happened. Sousuke was usually very easygoing and had spent most of my time with him teasing me. He had acted like the older brother I had never had, almost like Wolf, who had been one of the few people in the Trust who had treated me well. I wondered how long he had felt like this. "Sousuke-chan—" Fuse began. "Your sons are old enough to make their own decisions, Lady," Samojirou said. "I don't hold that against you. I know that some of your sons are unhappy with me, as is your husband. Frankly, I thought that Inuyama-sama or Inuesama would be the ones that wanted us to be parted." I glanced at Samojirou for permission to speak. He nodded at me. "Fuse-hime—" "Mother," she told me with a smile. "There is no need to be so formal." 18
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"Mother," I said. It felt odd. I had never been that formal with my birth mother, but calling a woman who looked sixteen "Mother" was just strange. "You and Father must know that I am very happy with Aboshi-sama and Tamazusasama. I will not leave them, no matter how unhappy the family is with my choice. I am sorry about that, but if they cannot accept that, we don't have to meet. Please tell Hamaji and Shino that I am sorry that things ended so awkwardly. I look forward to seeing them again. All of them actually, including Sousuke." "We will be enjoying the entire cherry blossom season all over Nippon," Tamazusa said quietly. "I do hope to see you both again. I enjoyed your company. There is no need for us to hold old grudges. I never thought that you were responsible for anything that your father had done." "Tamazusa-sama, you are as gracious as always," Fuse said as she smiled. "My husband and I look forward to seeing you at the rest of the festivals." "Until then," Samojirou said. Yatsufusa nodded at him as Fuse bowed, and the two of them left us. I was aware that there were still some lords about, even though it was very late. Most of them seemed drunk, but I knew appearances could be deceptive. Iida was openly staring at us. I thought that was very rude, but he was far enough away for him not to have heard anything. "I think that it is time for us to retire," Samojirou said. "I agree," Tamazusa said with a small laugh. "You seemed to have picked up an admirer," Samojirou said, nodding at Iida-sama. 19
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"I think it is your adorable Sakura-chan that he is interested in." Samojirou laughed and took each of our hands. With that, he walked the shadows back to the shoen. **** Tamazusa It was late when we returned home. The sake seemed to have made me mellow and relaxed. It was a strange sensation, since I usually didn't let myself drink that much. But it had been amusing, playing the Game with Fuse, in between the conversations where she extolled the virtues of her four unmarried sons. She seemed to have been almost ready to negotiate a contract with me. Shino had been horrified, Hamaji and Yatsufusa amused, and Sousuke I couldn't read. I had been as surprised as the rest of them by his anger at Keno. And then there had been that incident with Iida. I didn't know what the man wanted, and that bothered me. He was a lesser lord of a small island, someone I wouldn't consider either a threat or a potential ally. So why was he so interested in me? "Keno-chan, why don't you get ready to retire," Aboshi suggested. "Good night," Keno told us both with a smile and a shallow bow before going to their quarters. I thought he knew Aboshi and I wanted to talk without him about what had happened. I liked the fact that he had defended us to his family. "He is delightful," I said with a smile. 20
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"And I have you to thank for him," Aboshi said humbly. "I don't know what I would do without him now." "I don't think that Inukawa or Inuyama will be an issue," I said, unexpectedly moved by his comment. "And Inue can be controlled by the rest of his family. Yatsufusa, oddly enough, seems to approve of your relationship. None of the Hakkenshi will want to anger their father." "I am not worried about that," Aboshi said. "Fuse-hime will make her wishes known, and her sons will obey her or avoid us. You remember the trouble that she had had with them in the beginning, when we kept meeting at the same events? This will amount to nothing, as that did." "The rest of Nippon will be too busy wondering why we seem to have allied after all these centuries," I said. "I will make sure that no one guesses it is because your beloved companion is Inuzaka Keno." "Sakura is the perfect disguise for him for a number of reasons," Aboshi said with a frown. "I had used it to hide him from his family. Now it will be useful for any number of reasons." "Inuzaka Keno's reputation," I said after a strained silence. "I must confess I haven't thought about that." The first Inuzaka Keno had been a fierce fighter and one with a reputation for being a cold-blooded assassin as well. There would be any number of lords and assorted samurai who would want to be the one with the reputation of defeating or even killing him. This Keno was a gentle soul, not one who could fight like that, even if he was competent. He would never be a killer. Aboshi would fight through the hells 21
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to protect him, and I, too, would do anything in my power to protect Keno from being a killer. "What you also haven't thought about is Iida's interest in us," Aboshi said. I shrugged. "As for now, I'm not going to worry about it." I felt too good to try and piece together what he wanted from us. I could deal with it either tomorrow or even never. It might have just been an isolated incident or even simple rudeness. Not much was known about Iida. He was a southern lord who held a small kuni off the coast of Nippon. If I needed to know more, I could have my spies gather the information. As for now, I was going to just enjoy the flowers and not worry about the plotting of the other lords, at least not much. Aboshi smiled at me as if he were reading my mind. "I think that I've corrupted you, my lady." He signaled to the maid hovering in the background, and she scurried off to assist me in my rooms. I laughed and shook my head. "I simply am not worried about someone who is so inconsequential." I wasn't being rude about the man; his kuni was far away from mine. While not one of the most powerful lords in Nippon, I wasn't without influence. With Aboshi at my side, I was stronger than I appeared to be. I treasured his support, and I hoped he and Keno spent many years by my side. "And you shouldn't neglect Keno," I mock-scolded him. "The poor child is probably waiting eagerly for you in your quarters." 22
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Aboshi laughed, which I wanted him to do. I didn't want to spoil his evening by ending it with dealing with a rude little man, such as Iida. "I will obey your instructions," he teased. "My lord." I smiled at him, knowing what he wasn't saying: that he was loyal and would never betray me, something I had never worried about with him, no matter that he had betrayed and murdered Jin-yo, his former lord and the reason we both had been banished to the Dreamlands. I retired to my rooms, feeling almost giddy, and hoped Aboshi's night ended well also. **** Samojirou I walked into my quarters and wasn't surprised to see Keno and Yukiko giggling over something as she gathered his clothing to be cleaned and he removed his makeup. Yukiko adored Keno, as did most of the servants and the samurai. She bowed to me and bustled off to take care of Keno's clothing before she retired. Keno looked up at me with a grin, and I was struck by how beautiful he was. He didn't look feminine now; his shoulders and arms were muscled from his practice with Tamazusa's samurai every morning. "Good evening, Samojirou-sama," he chirped at me. "I was Aboshi earlier," I teased him. He flushed. "I'm sorry that I broke the no-talking rule, but Sousuke startled me. I don't know why he was upset. He had been very nice when we stayed with him and Shino." 23
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"I think that he is upset that you were Sakura tonight and not his brother Keno," I said gently. "I guess that not everyone can figure out that we are the same person," he said thoughtfully. "It is that ignorance that is keeping you safe." He frowned at me, apparently confused by what I was talking about. He continued with the disguise of Sakura because it amused him, as well as myself. I didn't think Keno realized he needed its protection still. I hoped he never would. He got up and gave me a kiss. "It's been a good evening," he said. "I'm not letting Sousuke ruin it." I kissed him back. Keno was being bold. We had progressed in our physical relationship to more than kisses, for the most part, including the rare, treasured times of actual sex. He was still uneasy about sex after suffering rape and other abuse at the hands of the Trust. I didn't know if sex was happening tonight, but Keno was willing, despite the fact I knew it had been a long evening for him. He tasted like tea and the sweets he had been nibbling on. "A very good evening," I agreed, kissing him back, running my hands up and down his back, savoring the feel of his skin. He made a small murmur of pleasure, melting into my touch. I felt him fumbling with my hakama and stepped out of it when he got it untied. Keno undressing me would be delightful foreplay. I didn't miss his hands lightly brushing over my shaft underneath my kimono, and it was my turn to moan. I let him undo my obi and open my kimono before I unknotted his fundoshi, stripping him bare. He rubbed against 24
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me shamelessly, twining his arms around my back and pulling me closer to him. I almost spilled myself at his boldness. "So bold," I teased. He laughed. "I think that I should show you how bold I can be." With that he dropped to his knees and started to tease my shaft, licking the tip of it briefly before taking the whole thing in his mouth, tasting the entire length of it before pulling back to flick his tongue over the head of my shaft again. I groaned in pleasure, my fingers twisting in his hair. Not to control him, but because he made me lose any sense I had when he did this. "Let me get more comfortable," I pleaded with him after an endless time, my world centering on the pleasure his hot mouth and talented tongue were giving me. My legs were shaking, and I felt that I was going to spill, but I wanted to savor this longer. Keno didn't say anything, but he sat back on his heels, looking wanton and wild with his swollen lips and the way he exposed his body to me. I managed to lie on our futon. Keno slowly licked his lips when he saw me lie down, a gesture that made me groan. I almost lost it when he rocked forward and started to crawl toward me, wild and submissive at the same time, holding my stare boldly. He was still staring at me when he took me deep in his throat and bobbed up and down slowly, driving me insane. It wasn't too long before I was writhing underneath his mouth, his fingers stroking my thighs and sac as gentle as a 25
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butterfly. "I'm—" I choked out, before I spilled into his mouth, feeling him drink it down eagerly. When I was done, he went back to teasing licks to clean me up. When he finished, he smiled at me, smug and satisfied, even though his own shaft was hard and he had not taken his own pleasure. "Touch yourself," I ordered hoarsely. I wanted to see his eyes when he did that. "Take your own joy." He smiled, stroking his shaft slowly, but even that was too much, and he spilled, whimpering in pleasure as he coated me with his seed. When he was done, I grabbed him and held him tight, smearing the seed over him too. "I liked that," he said sleepily as he nuzzled my chest. I was amazed by how quickly he could go from being a seductive creature to the sleepy puppy he was. "I did too," I told him, not trying to hide the amusement in my voice. I fell asleep shortly after he did, enjoying the feel of him in my arms. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Two Mason After the second incursion from the Dreamlands, the Trust pretty much shut Boylston Street down. The place was quietly quarantined within a week of our final, carefully edited report, one that never mentioned that either Wolf or I were some weird mystical warriors called Hakkenshi or their avatars or whatever Fuse had told us. There was nothing in that report about the fact that Keno had been one of them too or that the mean fuckers who had invaded us were related to him in some way. Quarantine meant they filled the lower levels with poisonous gas and cement to shut the monsters off from the rest of the world. Not that I thought that would do jack-shit against Tamazusa, because she seemed to be able to pop in here anytime she wanted, wherever she wanted, and I wasn't going to tell these fuckers anything different. The research sections were shifted to other locations, like the Lowell and Fall River branches of the Trust. Keno's choice to leave us hit me hard, but Wolf was devastated. He ended up going to a lot of shrink sessions over it. Not with McGann, but to some guy out of Waltham, at the nuthouse, which was convenient, since Wolf was now stationed there. McGann was up in Lowell, making nice with the state-run university located there, as our liaison. None of us who had been on that mission were allowed to talk about it, even with each other. We didn't see each other 27
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anyway, not really. Murphy ended up being semi-retired, not that he ever wanted to talk to me again after what happened; Anya was out on the West Coast; Wolf was at Waltham. I was sent down to Fall River, which was all research. My job was to make sure the eggheads got what they wanted, which usually involved a Dunkies run and making sure they didn't get attacked by a rogue test tube. A big letdown from what I had been doing, and the commute was a bitch, but it was better than getting permanently retired by these people. I was getting to know the eggheads down in Fall River after being there for a couple of weeks when I got a message that there was an assignment for me in Boston. I was really surprised when I got to the meeting and the people there were Elizabeth Adams, Caitlynn McGann, and Wolf Dieter. Elizabeth Adams was a Trustee, a sweet little old lady who was tough as nails. She protected Fuse, which was one of the things that saved our asses, given the fact that Fuse's kids were mean fuckers and not too happy about Murphy stealing their mom and Keno. They had been almost as pissed about it as Tamazusa and her boy toy had been. Mrs. Adams had taken charge when Collins had disappeared and kept all of us from being terminated, I swear. Most of the Trustees would have been happy to see some of us in the lower levels while they were pouring in the cement to close them off. "Ma'am." I nodded to her. Being on a desk had taught me to act a little more polite to people, sometimes. Besides, she probably was the reason I was still breathing, so I should be polite to her. "Mr. Kairns." She smiled. "It's good to see you." 28
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"I was told to report here," I said. It sounded kind of like a question, mainly because the three of us had been separated and it had been hinted that it would be very bad for us if we ever talked to one another again. Good part about that was Anya had to find some other poor shit to screw over besides Wolf, because she had been part of that mission. Bad part was I didn't get to see Wolf. Not to sound too fucking touchy feely, but he was a good friend, about the only one I had. In our line of work, you didn't get friends who lasted. McGann looked tired, but she was still in a killer suit, and her hair was pulled back in some sort of fancy bun. Wolf looked older, not quite there almost. He seemed to have changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. I didn't like seeing the changes in him. He looked like he was on the edge of breaking down. Losing Keno had really hurt him for some reason. I figured it was because he felt responsible for him in some way and that he hadn't known the kid had had the hots for him. Me... there were nights I stayed awake with a bottle because of the guilt, but Wolf's was eating away at him. Mine was just keeping me company. Keno had made a good choice, staying with the monsters, since they were a lot better to him than we ever had been. Wolf would never believe that, though, and that was what was killing him. "The Trustees have a mission that we want you to go on," Mrs. Adams said. "We have managed to recover both Mr. Heiseg's notes and Mr. Fairinox's work." "What the fuck for?" popped out of my mouth before I thought about who I was talking to. That it took this long for the Trust to want to plan a return trip to the Dreamlands 29
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again meant something. I just didn't know what. Maybe not everyone thought this was a good idea? McGann looked at me, and Wolf just shook his head, Mrs. Adams was amused, though. "It seems that the Trustees would like to see more of the Dreamlands, thinking that we can make allies there. I doubt that we would be able to work with the Nipponese, though, from the blunders that we made there. From the research that Caitlynn and Anya have done, there are a number of other nations we could deal with. The Trustees want to contact one of them." I stared at her. "Are they—" I started to say before I shut my mouth. "While I don't think that this is a good idea," McGann said, "I will work with the Trustees." That made sense, since those fuckers could make McGann's life miserable because she was a 'path. "Once in, never out" wasn't just the motto for some fucking terrorist organization. No one walked away from the Trust. Keno had been the first one I'd known of. Most of the time, the lucky ones died, and the unlucky ones ended up in a nuthouse, whether they needed to be there or not. Wolf was still thinking about Mrs. Adams's offer, but I could see he was interested. I didn't blame him, since it was something for him to hold on to. Me, I thought that it was a bad idea, starting with the fact that you needed to kill someone to get us there and ending with getting back was something that I didn't understand how it worked. "I don't like it," I said into the really uncomfortable silence. "And you know why." 30
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Mrs. Adams had the balls to look guilty for a second, before turning professional. "I know, but.... We have managed to work out some of the details and a much better plan. It won't be the wild goose chase that Collins organized." She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "We are losing this war," Mrs. Adams continued carefully. "Allies are needed, and hopefully we can find them there, because the Dreamlands are where all the monsters originate. We can bring the fight to them and stop their incursions here." "And you don't think that they're some poor fuckers that got lost?" I nearly shouted. Shit, I had been thinking about that for a while, which was probably the reason that I was rent-a-cop now and not a Trouble Consultant. "Mason," Wolf said. "I don't think that we have a say in this." He then clicked his heels and bowed to Mrs. Adams. "I am yours to command." Wolf sounded nuts, but he looked less worn all of a sudden. I didn't know what was going on in his head, but McGann looked thoughtful. I was surprised Wolf wasn't pulling a shit fit about what I'd just said. I was going to ask McGann about that later, if she could tell me. 'Paths had rules they worked under, and one of them was they couldn't tell about anything they picked up in someone's head. "Mrs. Adams," McGann said. "I won't commit myself to this without seeing more of the mission statement, no matter what I've been told." "Caitlynn, I assure you that the Board's threats are meaningless. You are valuable to us." 31
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"So why send her on what might be a one-way trip?" I asked, wondering if that line sounded as strange to McGann as it did to me. "She had her shit together on the last op, but if you're sending us someplace nasty, sending any woman wouldn't be good. I know that her and Anya got all the intel on the place, but you got their notes and shit. You don't need to send either one of them." I was feeling protective of Wolf and McGann, because neither one of them was showing a bit of sense about this. I felt guilty about Keno and wasn't happy with my life, but I didn't know if I wanted to do this. But I would go along with these two, because, shit, they needed someone to watch their asses and I was the one to do so. McGann just looked at me, kind of surprised I was arguing about protecting her virtue, I guess. Mrs. Adams just looked speculative. "I hadn't thought...." I sighed. "I don't think McGann ain't got the balls to get the job done, but how nasty is where we're going? Tamazusa was a tough lady, and she'd've killed us if we weren't so fucking funny to her and her boy toy while we were there. But I swear she wouldn't have done anything really bad to us." "Bad?" Mrs. Adams asked, sounding amused by my statement. McGann just watched me. I thought she knew where I was going on this. You didn't need to be telepathic to figure it out, just street savvy. "Rape and torture us," I said bluntly. "You're a nice lady. You don't think of those things. I knew that Wolf didn't. Not that he's stupid, he just hadn't been in a situation that he had to think about it. He's a damned Boy Scout. Basically, this trip 32
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should be guys. Big fuckin' bruisers that no one's gonna look at and think that they'd be a good wife. You want to do the nice-nice with these people, that's gonna be the second or third trip when you know they're worth it, as much as I hate to say it." Not that I actually wanted to do multiple trips to this place after how it happened last time, but I knew that given the fuck-ups previously, we were going to have to do a lot of negotiation with whoever the Trustees were trying to hook up with. Mrs. Adams looked at McGann, checking for her opinion. "While Mason's assessment is a bit rough," McGann said, "he does have some valid arguments. The Nipponese are very civilized. Lady Tamazusa is a very powerful woman, and, from what I found out, the only female lord in Nippon. Very few pre-industrial societies allow women that power. I must confess I didn't think about the other thing that he mentioned." "I don't think that—" Mrs. Adams started. "You been in prison?" I asked, wanting her to see some sort of light. "You ever have to watch out for the nasties? Besides the other Trustees?" Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say, but I wanted her to know how serious I was about this. "You're a nice lady who don't have to worry or think about this shit. Because if you did, you'd've protected Keno's ass. You're thinking that these guys are going to be playing by the rules. They ain't or at least not rules that we know and understand." 33
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"I doubt that things are going to be that bad," Mrs. Adams insisted. "It might not be," I snapped, "but I ain't setting up McGann to be part of a train pull if it is. You're still thinking that the monsters are the ones that you have to worry about. Humans can be worse than the monsters. Trust me on this. I saw it inside." "What's a train pull?" Mrs. Adams asked, a slightly confused look in her eyes. "When a group of men line up to use someone sexually, whether the person's interested or not," Wolf told her before I could. I was surprised that he did, but considering where he had been assigned, he'd probably had to break up something like that at least once. Depending how nuts they were at Waltham, the inmates could be worse than those in prison. And I knew that he didn't want to see something like that happen to McGann. Or anyone, really. Me, I just thought that sending bruisers might stop that. I didn't know if he thought that would be good enough. "I don't think that I can use that for any of the other Trustees as an argument against Caitlynn going," Mrs. Adams said. I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying something nasty, and McGann sighed. "Some of them might think that— " "I don't need to hear the rest of that," I said. I really didn't. I had seen and done some nasty shit in my life, but I never thought that setting someone up for rape was a way to 34
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get even, like those fuckers did. McGann must have really pissed them off. "But what about talking to these people?" I continued. "I know English and some Spanish. Wolf knows German, Russian, and Jap, as well as English. Shouldn't we have someone that speaks Latin or something?" I barely remembered the map from my time in Tamazusa's library, but I knew that the nations I had seen there, not all of them spoke English, from what little that blue guy told us. Not that I had been paying much attention to him; I had been too busy talking to Samojirou and trying to figure out what shit he was pulling. "And McGann looked like she was going to puke the entire time she was there, like she had a bad headache," I added. "I don't think that it's going to be better this time." "Mason, honestly, I can take care of myself," McGann murmured. I could see she was amused I was fussing about this. Shit, she was a good person who had been dealt a rotten hand. I bet if she hadn't been a 'path, she'd probably have had a nice, normal life being a librarian or something sane like that. I snorted. "Doubt that. You and Wolf... shit, you're good people." "I will take your concerns under advisement," Mrs. Adams said. Even I figured that was a polite "shut the fuck up." The meeting broke up after that, and I was wondering if the Trustees were going to smarten up and just leave the Dreamlands alone. 35
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**** Keno Dousetsu showed up at the final cherry blossom gathering as the blossoms artfully fell from the trees, blanketing the ground with their beauty. I was surprised to see him there. He was one of the more antisocial people I knew. He had seemed very uncomfortable even at the family gatherings at Shino's castle. I hadn't seen Shino or Sousuke since that party the first night. Not that I expected to. The parties we were attending were all over Nippon, and you had to either have Samojirou's talent of walking the shadows or know some sort of spell to teleport you around, neither of which were common. If you couldn't do that, you either walked or were carried in a kaga, a palanquin box, to where you wanted to go. I had no idea how Fuse got around as much as she did, but it had something to do with Yatsufusa. I thought he had some sort of ability to teleport. "Sakura-san," Dousetsu said, bowing to me. He bowed deeper and more formally to Tamazusa. "Tamazusa-sama." He ignored Samojirou. There was something there I didn't know about and frankly didn't want to. "Inuyama-sama, it is a pleasure to see you here," Tamazusa said. "May I join you?" he asked. She smiled at him. "You do know about the rumors?" He looked uncomfortable but nodded. "That my mother wants an alliance with you? Or the one that she's marrying one of us off to you?" 36
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Tamazusa laughed. "Both. You are safe, though." Dousetsu looked puzzled for a moment and then relaxed. "I don't think that we would be a good match." I studied him. He didn't remind me of Wolf, or Wolf wasn't like him, whichever it was supposed to be. I found it hard to believe that Wolf was Dousetsu's avatar. Not that I had anything against Dousetsu, I barely knew him, but I knew he wasn't like Wolf from the few times that we had talked. Wolf was a nice guy, kind, and gentle. I'd had a crush on him for the longest time because of that. I couldn't even think of Dousetsu in that way, knowing that we were related in an odd sort of way. He was a hard man, from what I had heard, and cold, for a number of reasons, none of which had been really explained to me. "So you are here to plead Inukai-sama's suit?" Tamazusa asked him lightly. Samojirou laughed and shook his head. Inukai Genpachi was another one of my brothers. He was like Mason, tough and street smart. He had been a ronin, a masterless samurai for a while. He didn't always watch his language either and had spent most of my visit teasing me about Samojirou, making me laugh and feel embarrassed at the same time. That he would be someone Tamazusa would be interested in was laughable. She had the reputation of being elegant and ruthless. Of all my brothers, I thought she would have the most in common with Shino. Dousetsu looked startled, and then he realized she was teasing him. "I was thinking more of Konbungo," he told her dryly, trying to fall into the spirit of the joke. 37
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"Unfortunately that means that I have to deal with Inuesama," she said regretfully. "I don't think that will be pleasant for either one of us." My brother Inue Shinbee, to put it bluntly, has a tendency to act like a brat, since he had been spoiled by both Fuse and the rest of his brothers. Inuta Konbungo was a big man, gentle and kind. He reminded me a lot of Wolf. He was never far away from Shinbee, since he had been his nephew as well as one of the Hakkenshi in the real world. Plus I thought Shinbee needed Konbungo to keep him out of trouble. "Then can I ask to stay on my own merits?" Dousetsu asked. Samojirou smiled. "You and the rest of the Hakkenshi are always welcome." Dousetsu looked angry for a moment and then nodded. "I understand. However—" "I also understand that sometimes the past is hard to let go," Samojirou said softly, looking at me. Dousetsu nodded, and Tamazusa signaled that I was to pour him sake and serve him. He looked startled but then relaxed a bit. I thought he just wasn't used to being served at all, rather than he thought I shouldn't be doing it. "Sakura-chan has no problem with our relationship," Samojirou said. "I hope that you do not either. We were surprised that Inukawa-sama seemed to have one." "My brothers don't always agree, no matter what the rest of Nippon seems to think," Dousetsu said dryly. "And I assure you, whatever issues I have are with you and not with either of your companions." 38
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"As it should be," Tamazusa said with a steely smile and a glance at me. I didn't know what she was trying to tell him, but it seemed to me he understood the message. The parade of lords started soon after that. The rest of the evening was filled with banter and bargaining, since many of the lords were very interested in the fact that Dousetsu was with us. Iida was there also, staring at our group. He had been at many of the other gatherings, too, but hadn't approached us. That had made Samojirou and Tamazusa notice him all the more. I didn't know what any of them were plotting, but I knew Samojirou worried about it, for some reason. He didn't mention it to me, but I saw the look in his eyes when Iida was watching Tamazusa—he wasn't happy. I don't think he was jealous or anything like that. Iida was a puzzle to him, one he didn't like. I didn't know how Iida was able to afford to be at all these gatherings, because he didn't seem to be a rich lord. His clothing was plain and not very expensive-looking, and he didn't have any companions with him, except for the lone samurai that followed him around like he was his shadow. "You are happy here?" Dousetsu asked me softly at the end of the evening. I looked at him and then nodded. I wasn't going to start defending my choices with him. "Good," Dousetsu said. "While I will never forgive Samojirou for what he did, I have made my peace with it. He has made his own peace, it seems." He frowned at my confused look. "Did he ever...? Probably not." He sighed. "Talk to him." 39
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I gave him a cross look that made him laugh. I didn't know why he thought I didn't talk to Samojirou! The mute act was only for outsiders. "I think that there is much that you need to discuss with him about his relationship with my brother Keno," Dousetsu said. I was confused and curious. What did he know about that? "I knew," he said softly. "And I know what it cost the two of them. Talk to Samojirou about that." He hesitated for a second. "Samojirou did me a grave injury in the real world." Another pause. "And I know that I wasn't entirely innocent in the matter, either, which may have been part of my hatred for him. Our relationship wasn't the best for many reasons. But I, like Samojirou, tire of the hatred. Please tell him that. And give Tamazusa-sama my thanks for her kindness this evening." With that he bowed and strode away. "I hope that he wasn't rude to you," Samojirou asked me. I shook my head, and he smiled at me. "I think that we need to leave soon." I glanced over at Tamazusa and saw Iida was staring at her again. He was too far away for me to see the expression on his face, but he seemed off to me. He was watching her for a reason, and it wasn't one that seemed nice. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was stalking her. Samojirou saw where I was looking and frowned. "Him again." He leaned over and kissed me. Tamazusa broke off her conversation and shook her head, amused and annoyed that 40
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Samojirou was being so bold with me. Nipponese society didn't approve of such public displays of affection. "Tamazusa-sama?" the lord she was talking with asked when she seemed to not be paying attention to him. "I was distracted for a moment," she said smoothly. He saw where she was looking. "I haven't seen Samojirousama so enamored of a companion in ages." "He hasn't been," she agreed. I noticed Iida seemed to tense up when he saw what Samojirou and I were doing. I laughed and smiled at Samojirou, trying to tell him with my eyes to watch Iida, because the man felt dangerous to me. I didn't know if he got the message. "Sakura-chan," Tamazusa called. I hurried over to her side and bowed deeply to her. I figured she wanted to separate us before Samojirou acted any more outrageous. We knew she wasn't angry, but it also looked like the act of a jealous woman. "Attend me." The rest of the evening passed peacefully, Samojirou amused more than angry at what Tamazusa had done. I believed he knew he had acted indiscreetly with that kiss. And not that he had offended someone with it, but that he had showed these people how much he cared for me. That could be used against him in the future. And I hated the fact that I actually had thought of it. **** Tamazusa 41
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I wanted to strangle Aboshi when he kissed Keno. Really, such boldness wasn't the best move in the Game. But Aboshi was madly in love with the man, and I knew that affected his judgment. I separated the two of them for the rest of the evening. Actually, I had hoped Keno would learn something of the Game when he was with me. As Aboshi brought us home, I smiled and apologized to him. "I fear that I overstepped my bounds," I said lightly. He laughed. "My lady, you would never do so. I know that I was reckless. But Iida-sama sneaking and staring annoys me, and I wanted to give the man something to watch." "Iida." I repeated the name thoughtfully. "I noticed him. I don't know if he is just rude or shy with the way that he acts." "Rude," Aboshi said promptly. "Dousetsu told me that he appreciated your kindness," Keno told me quietly. "I think that he's shy." Aboshi laughed at that, but not unkindly. "That could be said of the man," I told Keno. "He seemed shy when we were at Shino's castle," Keno said. "Like he wasn't comfortable with anyone but Hamaji." "She reminds him of his sister, actually half-sister," I said. "The Hamajis looked and acted a lot alike. It caused him grief when Aboshi used the first Hamaji for his own ends and she died. Dousetsu... unfortunately he was part of what happened, and he found out that she was his half-sister when she was dying in his arms. It was a shock, I've been told, when he met Shino's Hamaji, for she reminded him of his half-sister strongly." 42
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Keno looked shocked at this for some reason. I then remembered how young he was, how sheltered even with all that had happened to him. Aboshi looked annoyed, and I simply stared at him. I wondered why he hadn't told Keno about these things, and then I realized he couldn't. Keno wouldn't understand. He didn't... couldn't understand the hatred of our time in the real world. That Dousetsu had killed his own sister because Aboshi had tricked and confused him with illusions. Illusions Aboshi wasn't able to spin anymore, as he was stripped of most of his power when the first Keno had banished him. "I'm sorry," I told Aboshi. He nodded, accepting my apology, and Keno looked even more confused. "Inuyama has had a difficult life," Aboshi told him, trying to explain to him a little. "He dedicated his early life to avenging his father's death." "That sounds intense," Keno said thoughtfully. "I don't know if I could do that." Aboshi and I looked at each other. The first Keno had done more than that, but I didn't know if either one of us could explain his ancestor to him. "I think that I want to retire," Keno told us, apparently ignoring the currents that swirled around him. He smiled and bowed to Aboshi and me before gliding away, still firmly in his persona of Sakura the tayuu. It seemed to be more of the "real" him, or it could be that he was finally confident about who he was. This was a great change from the frightened young man he had been when I rescued him from the Trust. 43
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"He is so different," I said when I knew he was out of range of hearing. "Very different," Aboshi agreed. "He wouldn't understand," I said, happy about that somehow. This Keno was a gentle soul and one who was a good match for the man Aboshi had become over the centuries. "But I think that you should tell him what has passed between you and Inuyama." "I will try," Aboshi said. "But not tonight." "Tonight," I said with a laugh, "he will be having a much different conversation with you." **** Keno I was still awake when Samojirou came to our room. Even after all our time together, I thought of him by his last name more easily than his given name. "You're still awake," Samojirou said as he crawled into bed with me, stretching out on his back. I snuggled up to him, laying my head on his shoulder. He started playing with my hair. It was nice and cuddly, something we both enjoyed. Even after a year with him, I was still a bit skittish about the physical act of making love. Thankfully, he still understood. And that didn't mean we didn't get very inventive at times. This just wasn't going to be one of those times. I wasn't surprised there was a note of worry in his voice. There had been something neither Tamazusa nor Samojirou wanted to talk about around me. I thought he was worried I was going ask him about that. I wasn't. But I was going to 44
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take Dousetsu's advice and ask him a little bit about what exactly his relationship with my ancestor had been like. I knew they had been lovers, and I guessed that my ancestor had been a fighter like the rest of the Hakkenshi. But Samojirou never really talked about his relationship with my ancestor. He might be just being polite, since there might be some unwritten rule that you don't talk about an old lover with a new one. Or it could be that he just didn't want to talk about it. He had mentioned once or twice that they hadn't had a lot of time together. And I didn't know what he felt about someone who had essentially thrown him in jail for centuries. His feelings about that were probably as confused and illogical as my crush on Wolf had been. "Dousetsu thinks that we should talk," I told him. Samojirou gave an odd laugh. "He is the last person that I expected to tell you that." "I think that he's trying to help," I said. "But I could be wrong." "He knew that we were lovers, before," Samojirou said quietly. "Something that none of the others knew." "I'm not going to ask you about why Dousetsu was angry with you," I said softly. "That isn't something that I am proud of," Samojirou said. "My only defense is that I was caught up in the hate and the moment. And for that, I let an innocent girl be killed, even if she had been trying to kill herself earlier, and used another one shamefully." "You didn't!" I started, jerking away from him. 45
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"Rape?" he asked me, turning over on his side to face me. "Not of her body. But... I did use her to communicate with Tamazusa, who didn't feel that both of us should be absent from her kuni. She was still consolidating her power. It had only been a few decades that we had been in the Dreamlands. I, unfortunately, couldn't resist tormenting the Hakkenshi. My hatred of Satomi was so strong. I think it helped that I wouldn't let anyone else near Hamaji during that time." "Shino's Hamaji?" I gasped, shocked. "Other than that, I treated her as an honored guest. She had the misfortune to be one I could use to communicate with my lady, since it wouldn't have worked with everyone. It was also because she was Fuse-hime's sister that I used her, so that the spells succeeded. Those ties helped me reach my lady." "That was—" "Disgusting is one word that can be used to describe it," Samojirou said calmly. It was his tone that made me mad. I was angry that he could admit what he had done so easily. I got up with a jerk and grabbed my yukata. "I'm going for a walk." "Please wait," Samojirou asked of me. "You... you are so innocent of all this. Should I tell you that Hamaji was relieved, even grateful that I was not interested in her body? That she accepted what I was doing eventually? Not that she enjoyed it or even has forgiven me for what I had done, but that she has decided not to hate me for it?" "I don't think that it makes it any better," I told him coolly. 46
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"And this is why I hesitated about telling you anything," Samojirou said, sadness in his voice. "We all did things that you wouldn't have understood." "I know that," I said stiffly. "But I don't think that I can just sit here calmly after you told me something like that." "Please don't go yet," he almost begged me. "I wish to tell you more. I don't think that I can make you any angrier with me." "Just upset," I said, my anger draining out of me. "I can't.... Listen, I know that you did bad things—" "That would be an understatement," he murmured. "—I've done them too. Well, not me, but who I was. So I don't think I have a right to be angry with you. Because while I don't know what my ancestor did that was so bad, I know that it must have been really terrible, because no one wants to tell me about it. I'm not stupid. It's like an elephant in the room whenever I'm with my family. No one wants to tell me what I was like, and considering what the Hakkenshi are, it must have been pretty bad." "Do you want to me to tell you?" Samojirou asked. The look in his eyes begged me to say no. And I really, really didn't want to know what I had been like. "Not yet," I said, compromising. I didn't think I was ready to hear that. Maybe in another decade or so I would be, but not now. He looked relieved. I didn't blame him. "You banished me so that Inuyama wouldn't kill me," Samojirou told me instead. "Of all the Hakkenshi, you are the only two who could do such a thing: kill me in the real world 47
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and make sure I died a true death and not escape to the Dreamlands. Inuyama Dousetsu knows the rituals, because he masqueraded as a priest and he has a small talent for rituals. You had the magic to banish me permanently and had decided to do so, no matter what it cost you. You thought it was better, since your loyalty to your family outweighed the fact that we were lovers. Or maybe not, since you should have let Inuyama kill me." "Being here," I whispered, sounding raw, understanding what he was trying to tell me: How much he had been hurt by my ancestor because of what he had done. "Not ever being together again." "I think that you didn't know the price," Samojirou said gently. "Since... since there was a promise in your eyes that you would join me." "But I never did." "It was karma and the price that was paid for our love," Samojirou said, getting up. He walked over and kissed me on the forehead. "Walk and think about what we have talked about. Please... please don't be angry. And I have you now. You are the Inuzaka Keno I love, and not a ghost of my lover from the ancient bloody civil wars, the Sengoku Jidai, the time of fighting before the Tokugawa ruled Japan. Think of that as you walk." "I wasn't like this before?" I asked. "Your innocence died when you were a child," he said. "And I refuse to say more than that." "I won't ask you more," I assured him. "Because as upset as I am, I also know I don't want to know who I had been 48
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before this." I hugged him and slid open the door. "Thank you." "For what?" he asked me, bewildered. "For being honest with me," I said as I slipped off into the night. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Three Mason It was a week later that I was called back to Boston again. It was another briefing, and this time, along with McGann, Wolf, and Mrs. Adams, there was another guy. He looked to be in his midthirties, average height and weight, with a good tan, like he had been working outdoors for years and years. His dirty blond hair was buzzed short on the sides, a bit longer on the top and toward the back, with a couple of long braids that hung to his shoulders, tied off with colorful thread . He had green eyes and looked really confused about why he was here. I was just wondering what he'd seen to get him stuck in this mess. "This is Doctor Logan Sawyer," Mrs. Adams said. We all shook hands and made all the right noises, like normal people. Sawyer didn't look totally useless, even with his weird hairstyle. I couldn't bitch about it because I was shaving my head now; it seemed easier to care for, and I didn't see the grey. "Please call me Logan," Logan said. "There's no need to be formal." "Logan will be the fourth person for your expedition." Mrs. Adams told us. "Medic and expert in Mayan culture." "Can he speak Mayan?" I asked. A medic was good thing, I thought. McGann still going was not.
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"I can try," Logan said, not sounding too confident about it. "But there isn't anyone who can speak the language. We can only say what we think it sounded like." "Shit," was the only thing I could say. It wouldn't help us if the one guy who knew the language really didn't speak it. It probably wouldn't be any better than charades, and we ran the risk of calling someone's mother a pig or something. Not a good idea with the people we had to deal with. I didn't care what the "experts" said; no matter how civilized someone was supposed to be, they were all still touchy about insults to their mothers. "How good a condition are you in?" Wolf asked. Logan hesitated for a second. "Good to fair. I just came off a dig season. I'm good at lifting, not so good at running or shooting." Well, that was something I was going to have to get back into, too. Not that I slacked off at the range or the gym, but I was getting older and slower. "Can you shoot a bow or use a sword?" McGann asked. "I did bow hunting when I was younger," Logan said. "Nothing recently. I was a fair shot." "You're up on the rest of us," I muttered. I'd had a couple of days to think about this. I was pretty sure the Trust could find someone in their ranks who swung a sword, was fluent in the couple of languages they needed, and wouldn't freak at the weirdness. So why were they sending us again? Wolf, I could see; McGann, maybe, since she was a 'path, which would be useful; but me, it didn't make sense. This wasn't cheaper than paying me a pension. 51
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"Last time guns were useless," Wolf said. I grinned at the memory of Murphy's face when he found that out. Logan looked confused but tried to hide it. "You're all scheduled to leave in two weeks," Mrs. Adams said. "Briefing will be the day before that. The rest of the time will be spent trying to drill you in the basics of several languages and a few other things. I assure you that it will not be the disaster it was before." "Not for us," I muttered. Wolf frowned. "What about Anya and Murphy?" I bit back a groan. I really didn't want them on this mess. Mrs. Adams said, "Ms. Romejinoff is now assigned out in the Seattle office, and Jim's a bit too old for this. Besides the other issues we had the last time." "I still don't like McGann going," I told her. McGann laid a hand on my arm. "The Trustees think I should go, and that is that." She didn't look happy when she said it, and Wolf looked concerned. So, he might be thinking bad thoughts at last. Not that I wanted him to turn into the cynical asshole I was, but it was nice that he was aware of the problem. "I've been told this is the first time someone's done this," Logan said. He wasn't trying to be an ass about it. He knew he was the new guy and the odd man out, not a very comfortable position. He was smart enough to know that rocking the boat was a bad thing. Mrs. Adams shook her head. "This actually is the second time. The first was a several weeks ago, and it didn't end well. We were reacting to an on-site disaster and didn't plan 52
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things out as well as we should have. The operation was mishandled from the beginning due to the influence of one man." That was an understatement. We had lost more than a dozen people, lost as in not here and hadn't shown up at the landing site in the Dreamlands, plus all the ones who had gotten killed when Tamazusa showed up here. I wasn't going to be the one who told Logan that, though. I wasn't surprised Mrs. Adams was dumping all the blame on Collins. It was the smart thing to do, considering he was most likely dead and had been a huge asshole. And I knew she was swimming with the sharks that were the Trustees, which meant she was one, too, underneath being a nice lady. She wouldn't take the blame even if it had been her fault. "Ended well enough," I said instead. "Considering everything." Wolf looked at me, and I wanted to bite my tongue, because it looked like I had sucker punched him. Shit. I forgot how bad this had... was still hitting him. "Keno..." he started, and then he took a deep breath. "We lost someone we shouldn't have." "Those mean fuckers didn't kill all the eggheads, at least," I said, trying to cheer him up. "They were pissed about their mom." Logan looked confused, and Mrs. Adams had the grace to look guilty. "That situation was mishandled. I had no idea that Collins had instructed Murphy that he was to bring hostages back with him." "As was Keno's situation," Wolf snapped. "What he did to 53
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him—" "It could have been much worse and you know it," McGann told him gently. "And what did happen was much better for him." Wolf looked like he wanted to argue about that, but a look from McGann shut him up. I don't think they wanted to argue in front of the new guy. And McGann also knew Keno was a lot better off where he was. Plus, there was the matter of the little going-away present he had given us, wiping out as many of our databases he could. I hadn't thought he'd had the balls to do something like that. I was impressed that he had done it, even if I didn't say it out loud. I wasn't that stupid. Mrs. Adams looked over the four of us. "I don't think it will be a surprise to any of you that Mr. Dieter is your team leader for this operation. Gentlemen and lady, I hope that you all come back safely." Wolf bowed to her, and I was relieved. I had been worried for a second that Sawyer was going to be the one in charge of this mess. I never thought it would be me. Wolf was the best choice. As much as I respected McGann, this wasn't the kind of op she should be in charge of. Fuck, I wanted her as far away from this mess as possible. **** Tamazusa It was over a week later that a courier from Iida and his escort arrived. I let him rest overnight before I gave him an audience. I received the courier in one of the smaller public rooms, since he appeared to be one of Iida's higher-ranked 54
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samurai. He had been Iida's only companion during the entire time Iida had been stalking me, for lack of a better term. He named himself Mawatari Kappei but gave us no other information. There was something strange about the man, and he seemed very uncomfortable in my shoen. Not like he was a country bumpkin overwhelmed by what he saw, but more as if he thought there was something wrong in my kuni. I had Aboshi at my side, and I made sure that Keno wasn't with us. Not that he cared about such things, since Keno was wonderfully disinterested in any sort of power. I had a sneaking suspicion Iida's message was of a personal nature, since the courier looked offended that I had Aboshi at my side. "Iida-sama sends his regards," he intoned solemnly. I raised my eyebrow at this. The man had traveled hundreds of ri to tell me this? "Iida-sama, since he has come to the Dreamlands, has been impressed with the skill with which you rule your kuni," Mawatari continued. I nodded. I had used my time to gather information on the man, since Iida seemed to be interested in me. Iida had only been here a decade. He had died in the modern age, unlike many of us who were heroes and demons from the time before Japan had been opened to the West. He had managed to gain his kuni thorough his skill with a katana more than his intelligence. It was an island off the coast of Nippon that had been known as Tsushima in the real world, isolated and small. My land was rich, to the northwest of the Kanto plain, with many resources. I had been courted before because of my 55
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kuni, but Aboshi at my side had usually discouraged any serious interest, as I had more than once had called him my consort, even though he was more my karo, my chief counselor. However, with Keno accompanying him as Sakura, it apparently had changed the balance of power in our relationship, or so people thought. Iida was a modern being, one who might have no issues with taking advice from a woman since things had changed in the real world concerning the position of women. I still had no interest in him sexually nor wanted an alliance with him. "I am flattered by his interest," I said lightly. I was more curious than flattered, but I wasn't going to tell the man that. "Iida-sama wishes to discuss many things with you." Mawatari paused and glanced pointedly at Aboshi. "Alone. My lord hopes this will be a quiet visit and one that is not shouted about across Nippon. He would like to show you the beauty of his kuni and converse with you about the nature of ruling and rulers." "Iida-sama flatters me," I told him, deliberately sounding humble. "I am but a simple lord, not a powerful one, like Ishihara-sama or Sakamoto-sama. Surely they would be able to give him better counsel?" Both those men ruled large kuni in the south of Nippon, spread over several of what had been separate provinces in the real world part of the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. "He doubts it," Mawatari replied smoothly. "My lord admires both your intelligence and your beauty. He would be overjoyed if you would join him for a journey to his kuni—" 56
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"My Lady is flattered by Iida-sama's attention," Aboshi interrupted effortlessly. "But as lord of her own kuni, she rarely travels. And she wouldn't travel alone." That was true, after a fashion. I rarely traveled the Dreamlands, but I did travel to the real world whenever I wanted to. I also took advantage of Samojirou's ability to travel in the shadows to occasionally visit parts of the other realms of the Dreamlands, but on the whole, I was content to stay on my own land. It was like that with many of the other lords. And Iida was a fool if he didn't think I would bring a handful of my Reavers with me. I doubted they would let me travel alone, less so than Aboshi. Even now, I could sense a few of them waiting outside this room, as was their custom. I wondered how Mawatari would feel if I invited them in with us. "As I have said, I am flattered by Iida-sama's interest in me," I repeated, "but I must discuss this with my karo before I make any sort of decision." Mawatari looked at the two of us. There was almost a faint sneer in his attitude after I said that. I ignored it. "Your advisor might be biased in this matter," Mawatari said, after a small silence. I smiled sweetly at him, knowing what he was hinting at. Aboshi was no longer to be trusted because of Sakura, since he was strong enough to rule his own kuni. Mawatari was hinting that he would overthrow me while I was gone and replace me. Unfortunately, Aboshi's reputation still haunted him after all these centuries. He shifted, but that was his only reaction to Mawatari's accusation. 57
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"I trust him," I said, with a slight emphasis on the I. "He is family." Mawatari said nothing for a moment. "My lord would be overjoyed to meet with you. He would escort you by water, aboard his personal yacht, to his kuni. He desires to meet with you alone, since he also wishes to discuss a delicate matter of a personal nature." He bowed and took his leave. We were silent for several minutes before Aboshi spoke. "Iida is not to be trusted." I laughed. Not because it wasn't true, but since Aboshi sounded like an outraged brother more than my levelheaded advisor. "I know that!" "Meeting alone means that he is plotting something." "It is the nature of the Game to be plotting," I reminded him. "We just have to figure out what he exactly wants. Is Iida interested in my power or my beauty?" "Probably both," Aboshi told me without hesitation. "You are a fascinating woman. You also have not taken a lover in the centuries you have been here. To be the one who coaxes you into his bed would be a triumph for Iida." "I have no intention of bedding the man!" I exclaimed, trying not to gag at the thought. "And I have always thought of you as my consort. You have been my dearest friend, here and in the real world." "If I had not assassinated Jin-yo," Samojirou said, "then Satomi wouldn't have killed you. I was not a good friend to you." "Jin-yo was a pig," I said softly, trying not to shudder and failing. The man had been crude, had treated me like a 58
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dockside whore more than a trained concubine. I had been simply enduring the man's attentions, hoping my next contract would be better, when Aboshi had arranged for Jinyo's hunting "accident." I had dreaded my next contract. I was getting older and that had made me less appealing to most samurai. When Samojirou informed me blandly that he would be assuming my contract—but expected no sexual relations—I almost wept, for I was so relieved at his news. Aboshi's tastes were known to me, even if he had been discreet when he had been with Jin-yo. He had no sexual interest in women. "And you had no idea that Satomi would betray me like that." "I should have known that it would have happened and protected you in some way." I laid my hand on his arm. "You did all that you could," I reassured him. "And you have supported me here in a manner that no one else would have." **** Samojirou I wasn't surprised Iida was interested in my lady, since she was an interesting woman and a powerful lord. She hadn't been that social in the past few decades, so when she chose to grace our society with her presence, she had attracted admirers. I hadn't known Iida would be among them. But the man was new here, a younger lord who probably didn't understand all the rules here. Iida was intrigued by the three of us, even with his rudeness to my Keno. Did he think Tamazusa would be 59
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jealous of him? Or threatened? The man was an idiot if he thought either of those things. But why approach my lady now? Was he interested in her or was there another plot here? "You are worried," Tamazusa said flatly. "What does he want?" I posed. "Besides your body? Is he thinking of another kind of alliance? Does he want you as an ally for another reason?" "It does sound like that," she said thoughtfully. "But I doubt if I am going to know unless I talk with the man." "I don't like the fact that he doesn't want you to have an escort," I said. A lord would always travel with an escort, even if just attending business in his kuni. To travel to another lord's lands, Tamazusa should take with her a small army of retainers, called a Hatamoto, whose duty was to protect her at the cost of their own lives. She had the habit of traveling with just her Reavers, which was unusual, maybe because of her ability to Gate to the real world. But if she were going to meet with Iida, she would need to do so with the traditional escort of a Hatamoto, even if the man had no idea what it was. It was the traditional guard from the Warring States era that had survived until the Meji Restoration, even if it had changed under the Tokugawa to more of an administrative position, as it was here. "That is something that I can bargain with him about," she told me briskly. "You and I know the Reavers will not let me go alone, even if he objects to any kind of escort. If Iida 60
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doesn't understand that, then he isn't worth playing the Game with." "Is this more than a move in the Game?" I asked softly. "Do you want something more? I see you looking at Keno and I, and there is something about you...." "I am content with my life here," she reassured me. "I am overjoyed that you and Keno are so happy. I have no wish to have a man or anyone else in my life. You and Keno make me happy." "I can never thank you enough for finding him," I said huskily. I couldn't. I shivered when I thought about what could have happened to him in the real world in the hands of those animals. "He is a joy." She smiled. "You're getting that look in your eye again." "That look?" I repeated. "The look that means that you want to find your blossom and do something scandalous with him." "My lady!" I protested. She laughed. "Let me think about Iida's offer. Alone. There are a number of issues with it, but it also might be an innocent offer. Iida may feel better getting advice from a woman rather than one of the greater lords. Or he might want to ask advice on how to search for a consort, something he might not be comfortable asking another man about." "I had not thought about that," I said. "Even if I don't think that is what he wants from you. There is something more to this. We just have to figure it out." "We do not!" she told me with a laugh. "I will think about this, and you will go and spend time with Keno." 61
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"My lady, I can—" I started. She laughed again, and I took the hint. She wanted to be alone. I wondered if it was because she wanted to think about the implications of Iida's offer politically or personally. I know she has never sought a relationship with anyone here, even after all these centuries. She had chosen not to deal with a formal alliance, but she could have amused herself with a paid companion or a lover of either sex. But she had not, and I grieved for her, concerned that she couldn't find the happiness I had with Keno. Thinking of Keno quickened my step. It was early afternoon, and he would be studying in the library. I went there and was rewarded by finding him in one of the side rooms he had taken over for his own use. He was sprawled on the floor and reading. "Samojirou-sama," he greeted me formally, rising easily and gracefully. "Keno, we are alone. There is no need to be so formal," I chided gently. He blushed. "I'm always afraid I'm going to forget one day and call you Aboshi in public." "Since Sakura is still as mute and charming now as she was in the beginning, I don't think that is something you have to worry about," I reassured him. "And we are very alone right now, aren't we?' "I think that Hikura-san mentioned he was going to be away for the afternoon and that I was to just leave my books here instead of putting them away," Keno said. 62
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I leaned over and kissed him when he told me that. I wasn't surprised that he was kissing me back eagerly. He wasn't such a shy flower anymore, even if we didn't always consummate our relationship physically. "Hikura-san would be very angry if we made a mess in here," Keno murmured after a couple of minutes. He sounded very dazed and a light brush against the front of his yukata, told me that he was as eager for me as I was for him. "Then we will just have to be neat," I told him. "Or just messy on you." "Whatever you want to do," Keno managed to whisper hoarsely. I was touched by the trust he had in me. "Messy on you, it is," I teased him. We continued to kiss, our light cotton yukata growing damp in the heat our bodies generated. I managed to undo both our fundoshi and our obi between kisses, Keno's body grew slick and pliant, his arms wrapped around my neck. My fingers wandered to his hidden opening, and when I brushed against it gently, he moaned into my mouth, a needy sound that went straight to my shaft. "Please...." "No oil, my sweet," I said regretfully. "And I will not take you without it." I didn't let him say anything else as I pulled him tight against me. I teased his opening some more, aware of the fact that he was slick enough for something else. Controlling him with kisses, I eventually had him sprawled out on the floor below me, his yukata spread out below him. I knelt 63
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between his legs, pulling back long enough to admire the sight of him open to me like this, vulnerable and so sexy. I cupped his sac, stroking the delicate tissue, watching him arch into my touch as my fingers wandered lower. Keno bit his lip to stifle his moans, not wanting to enlighten the whole estate as to what we were doing. I thought of another way to quiet him and shook my head. As much as I wanted his mouth on me, I would take our pleasure in another manner. He gasped in pleasure as one of my fingers started to penetrate his entrance. He was slick enough with sweat, but I knew it still would be uncomfortable for him. "Tell me if this is too uncomfortable," I murmured. "No," he moaned. I have to confess I heard an edge of pain in his voice and it excited me in an odd way. I maneuvered us gently, my finger barely in him, until we were a tangle of arms and legs, lying on our sides and facing each other. I said nothing more but kissed him hard, my finger sinking into his body deep enough to find that special spot in him. He was whimpering and writhing, kissing me as his hands explored my body. Keno arched into me, clutching my back and rubbing against me mindlessly, lost in the friction between us. I was having a difficult time holding back, wanting more than a bit of my finger in him. I found what I was looking for, and he came, moaning in my mouth as I stroked his center gently. When he was done, I wasn't surprised to feel his hand slip between the two of us to stroke my shaft. 64
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I bucked helplessly after a few strokes, burying my face in his neck and biting his shoulder in my passion. When I was done, I didn't want to move, even with the mess drying between us. It was with great reluctance that I rolled to my back for us to cuddle. But even then, I couldn't stop fingering him, just to listen to the sounds he made. **** Keno We were cuddling when Samojirou mentioned what was bothering him. Granted, we would have been more comfortable in our bedroom, and I didn't think I could forget we had made love here, but I was drowsy and content, listening to his heartbeat. I was enjoying his finger in me and the way his other fingers were playing with my balls. I didn't think I could have a coherent conversation with the man. Part of me wished we had done more, and I made a mental note to carry oil around with me all the time, even as I moaned as he touched that good spot inside of me again. "Iida has sent a messenger," he said quietly. "He wishes to meet with Tamazusa alone." I gathered my wits and tried to think as well as feel with him. "That's not going to happen. The Reavers don't even let her sleep alone." It wasn't that bad, but they hovered around her even more than they did me. Right now, I knew there were two or three of them outside the room in the garden. Was I embarrassed that they had listened to the two us? Kind of. But having 65
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them listen wasn't as embarrassing as either Tamazusa-sama or Okita-san listening to us. "She is thinking about it," Samojirou said quietly. "Tamazusa-sama must think that it is a good move in the Game," I muttered. Samojirou kissed the top of my head. "She does." "You're worried." "I don't trust Iida," he told me. I thought about it. The man had spent the past couple of weeks stalking us. It was a little creepy, but I wasn't one to really talk about creepy, since I was living with oni. But the important question was, why was he stalking us? He had been rude to me on the occasions we had met, but that could mean nothing more than that the man had no manners. "What do you know of him?" I asked, nuzzling and licking his shoulder like a dog. With what he was doing, Aboshi wasn't going to get anything too intelligent out of me. "He holds a southern kuni, a very small one, poor but part of our southern defenses," Samojirou said. "He's new here. No one knows much about him." "Is he an oni or something else?" I asked, more to get him to think than out of any real interest in the answer. He frowned, "No one really knows. He seems to be like your brothers, rather than like Tamazusa or myself. He's not a spirit, either. He had been of the real world at one time." "A man of mystery," I commented. "You know that this just might be something innocent. He may just be too Western to realize he's doing something strange, since he seems to be a modern spirit." 66
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"His advisors should tell him he is being foolish," Samojirou snapped. "What if he doesn't have anyone like that?" I asked, trying again to put my brain in gear. "What if he's just realizing that he's got to do something like that? What if he just wants her advice about setting up a court and everything because he doesn't want to deal with the other lords? You know that it's something they'd never let him forget about, that Iida-sama hadn't known such basic etiquette. And you know, no matter how modern someone is, he might think this is girl stuff and ask her to come because of that. And if Tamazusa-sama comes with troops, it might mean that she'll try and take over his kuni. Iida may be many things, but he isn't stupid. You don't let someone walk into your castle with a potential army." "It also might be something else," Samojirou muttered. "A Hatamoto isn't an army." "He might have a crush on her too," I said. Samojirou laughed. "Who wouldn't? I think I understand what you are saying with that word. She is a woman who is charming and intelligent." "And beautiful," I added. I wasn't jealous of his admiration of her, since they had been together for centuries. He loved her like a sister. He kissed me again. "As are you." We were silent for a while after that, content to be with each other. He eventually withdrew his finger from me, but I still didn't want to move. 67
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"You know that he might not be able to feed a lot of extra people," I said sleepily. I was ready to fall asleep right here and worry about that wrath of Hikura later. He'd be upset that we'd had sex here, but I had made sure the book hadn't gotten damaged, so he wouldn't be too angry with us. He just thought that libraries should be used for studying and not fooling around in. I usually thought that too. But there was something about Samojirou that made me do these mad things. "There is that too," Samojirou remarked thoughtfully. "And you know she isn't going to go anyplace without a maid, because I really don't think that Iida has sent one with Mawatari's escort," I said. "She wouldn't be without someone of her household." "I still don't like it," Samojirou said. I made some sort of noise, agreeing with him, because I really didn't like it either. But I knew Tamazusa could take care of herself, and that if Iida did something to piss her off, she'd do that spell on him, the one that had turned Heiseg's insides to mush, and then Gate to the real world. Samojirou was just worrying over nothing, which was cute, in an odd way. **** I realized I had fallen asleep when I woke up back in our bedroom. It was late, and when I wandered into the other room, I discovered a tray had been left for me. I wasn't angry, since I was pretty sure they were hiding me because of some move in the Game. Sakura, Iida knew about. I was 68
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pretty sure he didn't know about me. I knew that sounded strange, but we were really two different people at times. It was no secret that Sakura was a guy, given that Samojirou had been openly gay for all of his life and unlife. I really didn't want to have to deal with whatever plan Aboshi and Tamazusa were dealing with. And I wasn't going to be presentable until I cleaned up, so dinner alone sounded like a good idea for me. Even if I wasn't involved in the Game, I had a lot to think about with whatever Iida's proposition was and how it affected us. I was finishing off my salad when Samojirou walked into the room, looking angry. I resisted the urge to squeak like a mouse and dive for cover. "She's agreed to leave with him," he snarled. "In the morning, with only a handful of Reavers and a maid to accompany her on Iida's ship. She will have an escort of her own gokenin only as far as the western shoreline. Mawatari claims there wouldn't be room for them on Iida's ship. He also pointed out that it would be only for a month and that she will be treated as if she were Iida's sister." "She knows what she's doing," I told him. Gokenin were lower ranking samurai, like Seki or Takehito. "Does she?" he snapped. "The Reavers can protect her, and it's not like she's helpless," I said, getting up to give him a hug, "I don't think Iida knows she can gate to the real world or that she knows that spell." "I don't like this," Samojirou said, his anger seeping out of his body as I hugged him. 69
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"So she can take a maid?" I asked after we just held each other for a while. "She is," he said. "I know that this sounds silly, but...." "Keno?" Samojirou prompted when I didn't finish my sentence. I felt really stupid, but I had to say it. He could laugh if he wanted, but I was going to make the offer. "I can be her maid." "Keno!" Samojirou exclaimed. "I know that I can't really fight, but I'm good with a fan, and they won't expect it. I know that someone else would be a better choice, but I'm offering to do this, to protect my lord." I finished in rush. Samojirou was silent for a long time, and I got nervous. "I suppose that either Okita or one of the other of my lady's samurai would be a better choice as a fighter, but I doubt they would be able to be a maid as well as you can." **** Tamazusa Aboshi's suggestion that I take Keno as my maid to my meeting with Iida was a surprise to me. I didn't think that he would stand to be parted from his blossom for so long. "It would be a move that Iida wouldn't expect," Keno said shyly. "I know that you can take care of yourself, but I think Samojirou would feel better if you had someone with you. I know Okita-san is a better fighter, but I don't think he would make a very good maid." 70
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"Iida-sama has seen you," I pointed out. "He's seen Sakura," Keno said. "I don't think he'd recognize me. No one really seems to see beyond the makeup and the outfit." I thought about that for a while. I knew that to be true from my time as a companion. In fact, I doubted that Iida would even notice Keno if he was my maid. He would just see her and nothing else. I met Aboshi's gaze over Keno's head, and I didn't like the look in his eyes. He was worried, and I knew he didn't want Keno to go with me. But he was going to let his lover guard me because he was also proud that Keno had offered to do this. "It was his idea, my lady," Aboshi told me. "And I confess that I don't like it, but I think that I would like it less if you went without him." "I think that Keno-chan would be the perfect choice for me," I said. "We just have to think of a name for my new maid. It's unfortunate that my usual one has fallen ill and will not be able to accompany me." "A pity," Aboshi commented dryly. I just hoped he didn't arrange for it to happen in truth. It would be a good thing to do so, but I doubted Mawatari would be able to find out if this was true or not, and I didn't want the poor girl to suffer. The man would think—and it would be true to a certain extent—that Aboshi sent this maid with me to keep an eye on me. Mawatari would think she was a spy rather than Keno protecting me. Mawatari had shown us that he had thought Aboshi was not to be trusted and would make the assumption Aboshi didn't trust me. 71
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"But let me introduce you to Rikako," Aboshi said seriously. Keno looked at him and smiled. "I have to find out what your obsession with flowers is." I laughed too. While it wasn't an uncommon name, plum blossom was close to cherry blossom—sakura. But I doubted Samojirou had thought about the name too much, and most, if not all of the maids on the estate, had some sort of flower name because they were kashin—flower spirits. "I am delighted to meet you," I told Keno. He smiled and bowed to me. "I am honored to serve my lord." **** We left the next morning, Keno and I secluded in a kaga, a traveling box carried by four trained bearers who were changed frequently. It was slightly faster than walking, but I didn't look forward to spending days in it. However, a lord did not walk anywhere, and oxen carts were useless outside a city or other civilized areas, as was riding a horse, even if I knew how to ride. I had been right. Mawatari had barely glanced at Keno standing behind me, dressed in the drab kimono of a maid, his hair pulled back tightly in a bun, eyes staring at the ground. I didn't even know where he had gotten such an outfit, because the maids dressed better than that. Mawatari had been more upset about the fact that the Reavers had refused to leave us. A half dozen attended Keno and me, studying Mawatari carefully. It was unnerving. It was meant 72
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to be. They were not going to let either of us out of their presence. They were my escort along with several squads of my samurai under the command of Seki-san. "Tamazusa-sama!" Mawatari protested. "They will not leave me," I said calmly. "They are part of the kuni. They do not wish me to be alone at any time. This is something Iida-sama is going to have to accept." Mawatari frowned, getting what I was hinting at. "That would be something you have to discuss with him." "I will. I am interested in anything that Iida-sama wishes to discuss with me." Mawatari glanced up at Aboshi, who was glaring down at us from atop the shoen's wall. I was surprised to see "Sakura" standing behind him. I forced myself not to glance over at Keno as I wondered exactly who was standing with Aboshi. The look that Aboshi had given Mawatari promised a slow death if anything happened to us. Most of my samurai would be staying with Aboshi while I was gone, and they were unhappy that they were not escorting me. I had added to Okita's duties the role of karo. I wanted to leave Aboshi with a competent staff, since I wanted to have a kuni to return to. "I see that your men are unhappy with your decision," Mawatari told me. "Are you unhappy when your lord is not under your protection?" I asked lightly. Mawatari nodded, understanding what I was telling him. I was a well-loved lord, and my people would avenge me if he or his master did something to me. I bowed to Okita and his men, then to Aboshi before climbing into the traveling box. 73
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Keno climbed in after me, making himself as small as possible to give me more room. We were lifted, and the carriers set off at a smooth but quick pace. After a couple of minutes of silence, I smiled at Keno. "You are now going to see how Aboshi spoils us. I don't think of this as a pleasant way to travel." Keno nodded, looking slightly sick from the swaying of the box. He had traveled this way with me once before, but it had been a more leisurely journey. "If I had known," he muttered. I tried not to laugh when I saw the look on his face when I told him, "We're traveling like this for at least a week." [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Four Mason So we all got to go through the fun-sparkly-bad special effects tunnel again. It was just as nasty as before, and I wanted to puke at the end of it. But we all made it this time, and that was all that mattered. We'd had two weeks of learning to shoot a bow, swing a sword, and learn a few basic words in a couple of different languages, like Greek and Mayan. I was hopeless in all of them beyond "hello," "goodbye," and "touch her and I'll kill you." The last one amused the fuck out of McGann. And I was shit with the sword. Wolf took to his like he was a natural. McGann was an okay fighter, but I didn't know if she would be able to gut someone who was after her. I knew I could. I had been barely legal and an okay-looking kid when they convicted me, so I had learned to fight back and had been left alone. Got the rep as being a mean, crazy fucker, and that had kept me going for the time I was in the joint. I still wasn't too handy with a longbow or a sword, so I hoped I didn't have to use them, even if I knew I could kill someone. We were better armed and armored this time, with replicas of broadswords, bows and high-tech "primitive" armor, lots of supplies, and a couple of maps. We just had to figure out where the hell we were. Wolf was looking around and smiling. "This place reminds me of home." 75
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"Boston?" I asked, wondering if he had gone nuts. The place was wide open, covered with grass. There were woods and a couple of rolling hills in the distance, but nothing in the way of people or buildings. The place smelled nice, no pollution. This wasn't Boston. Not even the Arboretum looked or smelled this good. "Norway," Wolf said. "My grandmother lives in Oslo, but we also spent summers in the country." McGann smiled sadly, and I bet that she was thinking of home, too, but not in a happy way. I had noticed that she didn't mention family too much. Not that any of us did, but sometimes, some of the TCs weren't that cut off from their family. Not as close as Murphy was, but enough so that they talked to them. "Which way do you want to go?" Logan asked. "North?" McGann suggested. "Sounds good to me," I said. "But before we really go anyplace, what's the plan? I don't want it to be like the last time, when Murphy was the only one with the plan." "It won't be like the last time," Wolf said roughly. He was in charge of this mess. If he had any brains, which I knew that he had, he'd listen to McGann. I'd just be keeping an eye on Logan. Not that I didn't trust him; it was just that he was barely two steps away from being a lab rat. He needed someone to make sure he didn't get munched on by a nasty. "We're supposed to be someplace in the Mayan Empire," McGann said. "That's why Dr. Sawyer's here with us." 76
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"And why do the Trustees think these people are going to talk to us?" I asked. "Weren't they like cannibals or something?" "Mayans weren't cannibals," Logan said. "I think that you're thinking of the Aztecs." "Whatever," I told him, not really caring one way or another. He made a face at that. "But it still comes back to why these people would want to talk to us? Our track record with this shit ain't too good." "I don't think we're going to make the same mistakes we did last time," Wolf said. I noticed McGann was still looking good, so she might not be have the trouble she'd had last time we came to the Dreamlands. Something about being a 'path and being here had messed her up. But it could also be that we were still alone. Or it could also be that she wasn't trying to herd fuckin' cats now, since Murphy and Anya, the ones who had caused her the most trouble with Tamazusa, weren't here. "I think the question should be why do a Central American people have an afterlife, for lack of a better term, that resembles this?" McGann asked. "That is, if I understand what the Dreamlands are exactly." "Mayans and Aztecs lived in the jungle. This isn't anything like that," Logan said. "I doubt that this is a landscape they would be familiar with." "So that means we don't know where we are," Wolf said, sounding really frustrated.
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I really couldn't add anything to that, and I managed not to laugh my ass off at the fact that we were screwed again, because we had no clue where we had been dropped, again! **** We headed off north. We hiked for a couple of hours before we ran into people. We were on a leisurely stroll, almost, with Wolf in front, McGann and Logan in the middle, me as tail-end Charlie. We were found by about a dozen really big guys, bearded and long-haired, wearing woolen tunics and pants with boots. They smelled of beer and a bunch of other things. They were downwind of us. I figured it had been a couple of days since they'd had a shower. They all stopped short when they saw us and stared at us for a couple of minutes before someone shouted something out at us. Wolf shouted back at them in what sounded like the same language. "What are they saying?" Logan asked. "Fuck if I know," I said. "They're speaking Norwegian, I think. Or one of the Scandinavian languages," McGann said. "Other than that, I don't know what's going on." "They want to know who we are," Wolf told us. "And why we are here." "Shit, that would be a good idea, if I knew what the fuck we were doing here," I said under my breath. McGann shot me a dirty look for that one. Seriously, even with the briefings and Mrs. Adams saying why we were here, I still had no clue what was going on—and I had been paying 78
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attention to the briefings. Making allies sounded like a bullshit reason to me, given the fact that the Trustees were more likely to screw anyone than ally with them. They were after something, and I couldn't figure out what it was. This place was backward, with no technology or anything that would make an alliance with anyone worthwhile. I knew that from the little discussion with Tamazusa. It had been in my report, and I was certain it was in everyone else's. So why were we here? And more importantly, how long were we staying? "You know why we're here," McGann said patiently, sounding like my mother more than my boss. Logan didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "They're Norse," he finally said. "Other than that, I don't know anything, because Norse covered a lot of different cultures. All I know is that I don't think this is where we're supposed to be." "Why don't that sound about right," I muttered. So they aimed us at the Mayans, and we ended up... someplace else. Why didn't that surprise me? Good thing Wolf spoke Norwegian, or we'd have been screwed, and not in a good way. McGann shot me another annoyed look. I grinned at her. "Have you ever known me to be polite?" She shook her head and relaxed a bit. Logan continued to split his attention between us and Wolf. Wolf was relaxed and acting like meeting these guys was the best thing in the universe for us. After a couple of minutes of talking to them, he came back to us. 79
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"These men are from the farm of Grima Njalsson," Wolf said. "They would like us to go back and guest with them." "Don't look at me," Logan said when we all looked at him, expecting him to pull the answer out of his ass. "My expertise is on the Mayans. Anything else was covered on long-ago undergrad days." "Shit, tell me that you were a good student," I practically begged him. Fuck! We were stuck again someplace where we had no fucking clue about what was going on. I was beginning to hate that. "Fair," he said. "I don't know anything more than the basics. Most primitive societies think that guesting is a sacred custom, and they don't attack or harm their guests. But for all I know, these people are brigands or worse." "I told them that we would be glad to go with them," Wolf said. He hesitated for a second. "They were curious about you, Mason, why you were so dark, were you sick. I just told them that was the way your people looked." He sounded embarrassed, but I wasn't too pissed. I didn't think that a lot of Vikings saw too many African Americans, and being curious about what I looked like was what had happened at Tamazusa's place too. "And?" I asked, knowing there was an "and" to this. He had been talking with those people for too long for there to not be more to the story. "That you were my sworn men, you and Logan, and that McGann was my wife." I laughed, and McGann glared at me. "Congratulations, the two of you. I'll buy you both a round when we get back." 80
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"Mason," McGann hissed at me, trying not to check out the Vikings' reaction. They might figure out it wasn't true, or they just might think I'm a loon or that it was something I did because I didn't look like one of them. "Telling them you're married is the best thing," Logan said. "If you were his sister or an unmarried woman, there might be trouble." "Yeah, when we run across Amazons, he gets to be the little woman," I teased them. "Shit, this ain't Nippon. These people seem to be less civilized than they were." That wasn't too nice, but it was true. These people looked really rough, something I had never seen when we were at Tamazusa's place in what was called Nippon, which looked like it should have been in a bad samurai movie. They had been so civilized there it had made my head ache most of the time. Granted, that's what saved Murphy and Anya the ice bitch's ass when she had seriously pissed off that samurai with something she'd said to Wolf in Russian and exactly what Murphy had done after spending an afternoon with Tamazusa that ended with her dumping his ass back into the room under house arrest. But the politeness had been wearing on my nerves. I never knew what I would do to set Tamazusa off so she'd turn my insides into fuckin' Jell-O. Not that I'd thought she would, since even the way I had acted was way better than Murphy and Anya had. Shit, I had been treating McGann the same way, so Tamazusa had probably figured out I hadn't been dissing her. "That is something that we can discuss later," McGann told me. 81
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"Nippon?" Logan asked. I shrugged while Wolf looked... not pissed, but hurt. "I'll tell you later," I promised. "Right now, let's go meet our new best friends." One of the big guys was looking at McGann funny. I was ready to reach out and smack him, while Wolf looked uneasy. "You're wearing men's clothing," he finally said. "That's something of a taboo. I had forgotten about that." "Too late to tell them that she's your younger brother?" I asked. While she had long hair, she was kind of flat-chested for a woman. Not like the skinny chicks in Nippon, but she didn't have a lot of excess weight, really. I knew we couldn't have pulled something like that with Anya. The bitch was all woman and let everyone know it. Fuck, it figured Wolf knew about this shit. The guy was smarter and better educated than he let on. I was just glad someone had a clue and hoped that between him and Logan, we'd get out of this with our asses intact. There was some back and forth about it, and Wolf was looking more and more uncomfortable, until he barked something out that sounded like he was telling them to fuck off. "He can divorce her for that," Logan sort of hissed at me while watching the argument between Wolf and the others to see if it was going to get nasty. I shrugged. "Not like they're really married. Can it be like a vow or something that she has to wear it? Hell, having her run around in pants makes me feel a lot better." 82
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"There were rules," Wolf said when the argument was over. "I don't really remember the sagas. So I don't know how much trouble we're in. But I know that it can be bad that she's dressed like that." "We can always leave," I said. "Just hang around until we have to go back or look for someone else. It don't matter to me either way, 'cause I thought that this was a really stupid plan." **** We ended up in a small settlement on the edge of the ocean. There were a couple of fishing boats pulled up on the rocky beach and a collection of houses built out of dirt and grass. Pigs and goats were wandering around, and the place looked like it belonged on one of those ads for adopting a kid out of a Third World pest hole. Not that there weren't places in Boston looked worse than this, but this place was poor, and it showed. "Did I mention that I missed Tamazusa's place?" I asked the air. Wolf gave me a dirty look for that comment. Hell, the Nips might have been assholes some of the time, but they knew how to bathe, at least. I wasn't betting that there was going to be a daily bath in my future, from the looks of this place. Not that I was fanatic about stuff like that. It then dawned on me that I was sort of insulting Wolf's ancestors. "Shit, man, I liked the gardens and the cute chicks," I said. "Not trying to diss your people or shit like that." Wolf nodded and relaxed. I wasn't going to remind him that I grew up in a west-bum-fuck area like this before I was 83
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sent to prison. It wasn't quite as poor, but it was sure as shit out in the back end of nowhere South Dakota. I didn't like the fact that everyone and their uncle had come out to stare at us. Mostly at me, it seemed, because there was a lot of pointing in my direction and nudging going on. Finally, a really big guy came hurrying over to us. "I'm Grima Njalsson," he announced in halting English. "This is my farm. Welcome." "I'm Wolf Larsson and my wife Caitlynn. My men Logan and Mason. We are travelers." "And where did you travel from?" Njalsson asked while walking us into one of the grass buildings. I wasn't surprised to find that when I got in there, the inside was smoky and dark. "Far away," Wolf told him vaguely. "And your boat?" Njalsson asked, like he was trying to be polite and not fishing for information. "We have no boat, because we were dropped off here by other travelers," Wolf said. It wasn't really a lie. Whatever hoodoo dropped us off here was done by someone else. Njalsson looked like he bought the story, though. "I can give you guesting rights for six days," Njalsson said almost reluctantly. I don't think it was because he didn't trust us, but because we were "weird" to him, with McGann in pants and me looking the way that I did. But he was going to do his duty if it killed him. I almost felt sorry for the guy.
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"We're grateful for your hospitality," Wolf told him. Hell, he even managed to sound humble about it too. There was a reason he was the boss of this op. **** Keno It took close to nine days for us to get to the eastern shore of Nippon. We had stayed at decent inns along the way, traveling in comfort more than style, it seemed to me. I was just glad I didn't get sick in the kaga, and I got used to the sway of it after the first day. I was still happy to get out of it at the end of the day. I even felt myself relax when Mawatari didn't attempt anything with us. That could have been because we had Seki and his squad with us. Or it could have been that we were still in Tamazusa's territory. It didn't look this big on the map. But I do admit that I was spoiled by being able to travel in the shadows with Aboshi and not have to deal with how long it took to get anywhere when there weren't cars and superhighways. And then there was the fact that in the real world, I would have made this trip in a couple of hours on the bullet train. The only good part was that the other traffic had to get off the road for us. I guessed we made a pretty impressive sight, the samurai marching along and Tamazusa and I being carried in the kaga. We got to the end of the road that we were taking, ending up on the eastern ocean side of Tamazusa's holdings. The place was run by a daimyo named Takaneda Kosaburou, who was one of the daimyo, the lower-ranked lords, who had pledged his loyalty to Tamazusa. I met the man; he seemed 85
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to be nice, but dull. He was overjoyed that we were going to stay the night with him before boarding Iida's ship and sailing to his kuni. I knew which ship was Iida's when we got to the dock midmorning. I was grateful for a late tide, because that had allowed me to sleep in. What I didn't like was the look on Seki's face, because he knew we were leaving him. I believed the only thing that allowed him to let us go was the fact that he knew I was with Tamazusa and that I was armed with a couple of knives and my fan. I didn't know if I could actually kill someone if she was attacked, but I knew I had the skills to do so. Seki knelt in the outer courtyard of the castle. "I wish you a safe journey," he said. "I look forward to your return." She bowed to him, and I followed suit. "You have done a fine job of escorting me," she told him. "I will see you when I return." Mawatari looked disconcerted by all this ceremony. I guessed Iida wasn't this formal. I didn't think he would get very far with Tamazusa if he didn't learn to be. I wasn't being prejudiced; it was something that he should learn to deal with in working with any of the lords here. For example, I knew of no one here but Tamazusa who would have accepted the fact that Mason was a really casual guy who prided himself on being casually rude. We walked out of the castle walls and down to the dock, our escort only a handful of Reavers and two squads of Iida's samurai. Now that I was closer to them, they felt off to me. But I put that down to the fact that I was really nervous that I 86
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was the only protection that Tamazusa-sama had right now. The procession reminded me of those drawings you see of the nobles marching to Edo for their attendance duties. It seemed we were the center of attention for most everyone in the town. Iida's ship was the biggest one at the docks, and I swore that he must have had someone scrub the area in front of it before we showed up, it looked so good. I wasn't too familiar with boats, but this one looked impressive to me. I knew that it was more of a yacht than a fighting ship, because it had sails and no oarsmen. The sailors were all scampering around to get things going smoothly. It was about thirty meters long and ten meters wide. At the back end of the boat was some sort of cabin, which looked like a Japanese castle scaled down. The front of the boat was clear, with a stairway going down into the hull of the boat. It was colorfully painted in reds and oranges. Iida hurried down the gangplank to meet us. I was surprised to see he was wearing a colorful kimono and hakama that reflected the colors of his ship. He seemed genuinely pleased to see us. It was odd. But he might have been shy like Dousetsu was and didn't deal well with crowds of people he didn't know. And cherry blossom parties were always crowded. When he got to the dock, he bowed to Tamazusa. She bowed back. "I am overjoyed to accept your kind invitation." "I look forward to making your acquaintance better," he told her smoothly. 87
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They smiled at each other, and then he moved to escort her onto his ship. I fell in behind them, feeling odd. I was relieved he hadn't seemed to recognize me, but then, I didn't think he was the type of man who would point at me and shout, "I know you!" But that would have been better than having him look right though me. **** When the ship set sail, part of me wanted to beg Tamazusa to get off this ship. I didn't know why I felt like that. I felt that this was a big mistake, and I wanted to be back at her shoen with Samojirou. I opened my mouth to tell her this, and she just gazed at me. "It will be fine," she murmured. "Is everything all right?" Iida asked cheerily. It sounded weird to me after all the staring and stalking he had done. "Rikako just isn't a good sailor, I think," she said with a smile. "I must confess that I don't think I've ever been in something bigger than a pond boat in my life." "You'll get your sea legs soon," Iida assured us. "I feel that way on land sometimes." "How interesting," Tamazusa said. I wondered if that was the reason the man had been so hostile before. He seemed almost like a different man now that he was on the water. "Let me show you your quarters," he said. "Plenty of room for all of you." He didn't appear to be too upset that there were Reavers with us. Iida seemed to be determined to be the polite, 88
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cheery host for us. It was a big change from the man he had been before, and I wondered what had happened. I glanced over at Tamazusa; she didn't seem to be worried. I took a deep breath, ignoring the pang of longing I suddenly felt for Samojirou. That was probably the reason I was feeling so weird. I missed him, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to see him for a couple of more weeks. That was all that was bothering me and making me jump at shadows. **** Tamazusa We had been on Iida's ship for four days. It was very comfortable, but not luxurious. There was something about the ship that made me suspicious, for some reason. I thought that suspicion might be contributing to the feeling of unease Iida was causing within me. It wasn't something I could actually name, which made me wonder if I was imagining it. Iida was perfectly civil to me, perhaps overly so. There seemed to be a faint mocking tone in his voice when he spoke to me. And then there was the way he seemed to totally ignore Keno, not in a polite "I don't see you" way, but more in the manner that Keno was beneath his notice because "she" was only a maid. That could be bad manners on his part or a sign of something else. I was astonished that there seemed to be no one but men as his servants. It was odd, but as Keno had pointed out to me on the first day of our journey, the man just might not know any better. I wondered how I was going to bring up the point delicately. So far, I still was no 89
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closer to finding out why Iida was interested in talking to me than I had been the first day. While I attempted to question his motives in wanting to talk to me, the man parried all my questions with an ease I could almost envy. He, in turn, tried to probe me about my relationship with the Hakkenshi and Fuse. I mouthed empty platitudes and artless gossip back at him. Neither of us, I was confident to say, managed to get any information out of the other. The only time I feared that my self-control slipped was when Iida asked me about Samojirou and Sakura's relationship. "I can't believe that you let him have that tayuu in your household," Iida announced. We were at the front of the ship, sipping tea, when he said that. I had served him, not a full tea ceremony because that wasn't possible, but when I saw he knew nothing of what he was doing, I took over deftly. I estimated I was only a shade faster than Mawatari in doing so. Keno was not with me, which I thought would be the only saving grace of this conversation. "I discovered Sakura," I told him calmly. "The child was not in a good situation." "Child?" Iida asked, sounding horrified and intrigued at that same time. I hoped he wasn't one who had an unnatural interest in children. If so, there was no way I could deal with the man! I laughed and shrugged. "Sakura is very young to me." I sipped at my tea. "I can say that about many here. I have been in the Dreamlands since the Sengoku Jidai." 90
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"And has Samojirou-sama been here as long?" I looked at him, wondering why he had asked that question. Anyone could have told him of our relationship, of the length of time we had been here. It was something one's spies should find out before planning to approach anyone here in the Dreamlands for any sort of relationship. I was surprised he didn't know of it, and I didn't think he was feigning ignorance for another reason. So what exactly did he want from me? "Actually, Samojirou-sama and I knew of each other in the real world," I said lightly. "Certainly you have heard of the curse that the Hakkenshi are under?" "That is something that all know about here," Iida said, not admitting whether or not he knew it. "It is just... I fear I am too modern to understand such things." I shrugged and smiled sweetly at him. "I believe you might find us very old-fashioned at times, then. We are starting to heal the breach after all the centuries. I fear, however, that is more due to Fuse-hime and Samojirou-sama's long friendship rather than to any skill on my part." "There is a rumor that you have become close because of an incident that happened last summer," Iida said. I wondered how that bit of information had gotten to him and hoped my shock that he knew about it didn't show on my face. "I don't know to what you are referring," I said coolly. "That the most formidable Yatsufusa-sama let his wife visit you for several weeks," Iida said. I suspected he knew more than he was telling me, but to confront him about it would show that the incident was more 91
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important than he believed. That Fuse stayed several weeks with us was known, but that she had been kidnapped and taken to the real world was not. "That he did," I said, because it was the truth. "And he eventually joined her. They are most gracious guests." "And where did you discover Sakura?" Iida asked. "There are rumors, but then, you know how people like to talk." "Samojirou and I travel extensively, each in our own manner," I said distantly. "I don't remember exactly where Sakura was found, but as I said before, the child was in a terrible situation. I just decided that he would be better off with me. Sakura intrigued Samojirou, and so he made him his companion." "He does seem to be quite taken with Sakura," Iida said. "He doesn't like letting him out of his sight," I said with a cool smile. "And he is very fond of him." "I noticed," Iida practically muttered. I could tell that he didn't really approve of their relationship. Was he one of these too-Western Japanese I have heard of? I must confess, I also knew next nothing about the man, since there had been very little information for my spies to find. And I knew that was a bad thing. I wasn't surprised to see Mawatari watching the two of us closely. It didn't make me feel any better. Our talk turned to other things, but I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that I had somehow told these two too much information while I had gotten none in return. **** 92
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We were just sitting down to our evening meal the next day, Keno attending me and a Reaver guarding my back, when I felt something odd in the air. Iida was still the same smiling host he had been, but now the sneer was openly on his face. "Tamazusa-sama," he said as he bowed, making my title sound like a mockery. "Iida-sama," I acknowledged coolly, refusing to rise to his bait. "I am almost regretting this," he said, still mocking me. "I feel that I would have had a most interesting time with you." Something twisted in the pit of my stomach. Not quite fear, but I knew I didn't want to be under this man's power. He would be cruel just because he could be, but I doubted there would be any passion in it. He would pull the wings off of butterflies just to destroy their beauty. I felt more than saw Keno look up once he spoke, and the Reaver shifted behind me. "Iida-sama?" "Still polite," he said snootily. "I heard that you weren't that polite when you died." "I was angry," I said though stiff lips. I wasn't surprised to find out that Iida knew more than he had let on about me, about how I had come to the Dreamlands. Keno moved closer, ready to defend me. Something was wrong here, but I didn't know what. I felt heavy for some reason. The ship seemed to be running into rough seas; however, the air was too still for a storm. 93
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"I understand anger," Iida told me with a smile. "I'm going to make you that angry again." "What are you talking about?" Keno demanded. "She—no, he speaks," Iida mocked. For one wild second I thought that he knew who Keno was, but what he said next put that fear to rest. "You were the perfect woman for me, silent and meek." "My lord," Mawatari chided. "I know," he replied, without bothering to turn around. "But let me enjoy this." "Enjoy what?" I asked, beginning to feel the prickle of fear on the back of my neck. "The look on your face when I tell you that you are trapped here," he said. "Trapped?" I asked, offering him a smile. I then tried to shift to the real world and found that I could not. "What?" While Keno glanced at me, alarmed, Iida laughed. "I'd stay, but as my faithful retainer just reminded me, there isn't much time. The ship is going to break up soon. If that doesn't kill you, well... there are my other faithful retainers." With that, he and Mawatari shimmered out of existence with a clap of thunder. I suddenly heard the rain pouring outside the ship, I raced outside with Keno on my heels, and we discovered that we were in the middle of a raging typhoon. Keno looked at me in horror, grabbing me, and I heard the ship breaking up, torn apart by the weather and something else. My last thought before everything went black was that I shouldn't have gotten him involved in this. [Back to Table of Contents] 94
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Chapter Five Mason There was a bad storm the next night. I wasn't used to them, really. Whenever there was a Nor'easter brewing, I was usually safe in a nice, warm building, not stuck in the middle of nowhere in a damn sod hut. Okay, a turf hut, according to Logan, but I couldn't tell the difference, so I really didn't give a flying fuck what I was in. It was warm, though, smoky from the open fire, and just one room about eighty feet long and roughly twenty feet wide, with some half walls for privacy. It was better than being out in that mess, that was for fucking sure. I was keeping a close eye on McGann, even if the men hadn't started giving her shit yet. Wolf's claim that they were married made them hold off a bit, even if she was dressed like a man. Hell, we were all dressed alike in black T-shirts and cargo pants with steel-toed boots, so they might have thought it was just our way. Wolf didn't treat McGann with anything other than respect, even if they were sharing a bed. Hell, I'd thought he'd been half in love with her for years, so this might have been a dream come true for him. Anyway, unlike me, he didn't have a reputation of thinking with his dick, so that probably was why McGann wasn't freaking out about the sleeping arrangements. Most of the guys here were crazy, it seemed to me. They drank hard and played harder, from what little I'd seen, and I wondered what the fuck anyone was doing here in this crazy 95
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world more than once. We had managed to land on the far side of nowhere, in a place that seemed to be filled with backwoods biker types. This might be worse than dealing with the shit that went down at Tamazusa's place. Hell, I was even thinking longingly of her hot tub. These people didn't seem to have any sort of running water, and bathing was a challenge. I didn't look forward to trying to clean up tomorrow. At least it wasn't tropical. A bit cool more than anything, like early spring in Boston. But even I picked up on the fact that they were short of women here, and McGann was a hottie. It didn't help that the women here weren't that good-looking, being mostly big women. Not fat, but muscular, and they didn't have the advantages of hitting the salon or a spa to make them look nice and pampered. The women here didn't stop working for a minute, and McGann had been dragged into doing some of their work, too, guest or not. Wolf and McGann retired to their bunk the second night we were here, and I hung around with the rest of the single men, drinking and trying to get some info from them. The Vikings all had a few words of English, and I was getting the impression from them it was a trade language—barely—for them. They dealt with the guys who were on the islands east and north of them, and that was all. I liked these guys, for the most part, but I also knew they weren't the allies the Trustees were looking for. Finding those was going to be a bitch if the whole place was like this. Shit. I just wondered how we ended up here. Like, how did the hoodoo send us places in the Dreamlands, considering we 96
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ended up a couple hundred or so miles north of Nippon?. Did the place move around, or was it something else? We weren't in the same spot we used last time to make a gate, since that was buried under a shit ton of cement and other things, so did that matter? Why did I care? It wasn't like this was a bad place. From what McGann had told me, we were about four hundred miles or so north of Nippon. That mattered in a world that had piss-poor roads and even worse ships. Then there was the fact that we were supposed to be in Mayan territory. I didn't remember where that was and frankly didn't care. I had thought this was a stupid idea to begin with. Logan was just watching all this, and I thought that guy was a bit shell-shocked. Keeping his nose clean, though, even if he was taking all sorts of mental notes about this place. The guy was an egghead before he was a fighter, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. I didn't have the heart to tell him again that he wasn't going to be able to tell anyone about this. Maybe the other eggheads, but not all of them wanted to hear about stuff like this. "There will be a lot of drift on the beach in the morning," Tholf said. I shrugged. "Sounds like a bitch out there." Egil laughed. "The serpent is out tonight." The others looked uneasy after that, but they kept on drinking. Egil was a mean motherfucker most of the time, but also a poet, from what the others told me. He looked a little off to me, but shit, that didn't mean anything here. Tholf was just big and dumb. Hell, that was probably just an act, and I wasn't going to fall for it. 97
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"I take it that's a bad thing?" I asked. They all looked at me strange, and I shrugged. "Not something that I know a lot about." "The serpent is the Midgard Serpent, which circles the world. That he's acting the way he is now shows there is much magic in the air tonight," Tholf said. "Is magic bad?" I asked. I was thinking of whether or not Tamazusa's trick to getting into Boylston Street was magic. I knew the Jell-O trick probably was. I really didn't think it was a bad thing that she had done it to Heiseg, that bastard who had raped Keno and opened the Gate to the Dreamlands that had let the monsters—and maybe Tamazusa—into Boylston, starting this whole fuckin' mess. I wondered briefly how Keno was doing tonight and what Samojirou was doing with him. Taking him out or having a quiet night at home? I knew Keno was happier here; I just had to convince Wolf of that before it ate him up. "Depends on the magic," Egil told me, looking at me like I was a really dumb fuck, from the sneer on his face. I was pissed, but I was also under orders not to start trouble, and that meant not trying to wipe that sneer off the man's face the old-fashioned way. My luck, he'd beat the shit out of me easily. "There's a couple of different kinds of Norse magic," Logan told me quietly. "And that's all I can really say. You want to know about Mayan hieroglyphs and social organization, I'm your man. Norse customs, that course was a long time ago. Wolf's probably the expert here, not me." 98
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"You know more than I do," I grunted, taking a swig of beer. The stuff wasn't bad, closer to the designer brews than the thin crap that was American beer. That was about all they drank, too, nothing hard like vodka or whiskey. They just all drank a lot of it. They should have been drunk off their asses most of the time, but they seemed to have better tolerance for the stuff than a Southie guy on St. Pattie's Day. "The serpent is Loki's son, and he's a trickster like his father," Egil continued. "I wonder what the storm will bring to us." I really didn't know what to say about that. I didn't know what the fuck they were talking about. Logan looked like he wanted to give me a lecture about who's who in Viking mythology, not that I cared about it. I shook my head, and he got the message, but that probably just delayed me getting the lecture. We spent the rest of the night swilling beer and listening to the storm and the guys' gossip. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something really bad was happening out there. **** The next morning, I went to help gather driftwood. I noticed there was a shitload of it, and most of it seemed to be some sort of finished wood. I figured I was looking at the remains of a ship that had gotten wrecked in last night's storm. It was wood, though, and that wasn't something that was too plentiful here. I didn't want to know what they were burning in some of the cooking fires, but it didn't smell like wood. 99
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Wolf was helping down at the other end of the beach, and McGann was stuck inside with the women, learning to cook over an open fire and other fun stuff like that. We spent the morning hauling shit up to the longhouse. I was working on a mess of sail and wood when Wolf came running down the beach, frantic. "Mas... Mas!" he shouted. "I need help!" I dropped what I was working on and ran to meet him. "What's wrong?" "Follow me," he shouted. I did and was shocked at what he had found. Wolf had been working on another pile of wood when he was surprised to find a couple of injured people in the wreckage. He really hadn't expected them to be Keno and Tamazusa. They were cold and barely breathing, and Wolf had run to get me for help. Logan came over and just took charge, not that Wolf was being an idiot, but because this was something Logan knew about. I thought he was happy to be useful. "Hypothermia," Logan said. "The open water around here is like ice. No injuries, surprising, considering the boat's in pieces. We got to get them out of those clothes, into bed with someone to warm them up. They're both lucky that they're alive." I grunted and lifted up Tamazusa, while Wolf picked up Keno and ran to the longhouse. I was surprised by how small Tamazusa seemed as I jogged after him. I figured she would be pissed if she woke up naked with someone, and then she would turn my insides into Jell-O. I wasn't going to let that 100
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happen to anyone. Besides, in my line of work, there were worse ways to die than being killed by a hot chick. **** Tamazusa I woke up naked and aching, in the arms of a man. Not something I had ever wanted to do again. I stiffened and was confused when a soft voice murmured assurances of safety to me, while my back was stroked. I didn't recognize the voice, even if I recognized the language. It was English, but with an accent I didn't know. I lay still, plotting what I was going to do and waiting for whatever outrage he was going to inflict upon me. The place smelled of smoke, bad food, and too many people. There were coarse blankets around me, heavy and warm. Where had I ended up? I was powerless, and as far as I knew, alone. I tensed up, thinking of the half dozen Reaver guards I'd had with me, along with Keno. They had not survived the storm, I knew that. I wasn't sure Keno had. My unwelcome companion murmured something soothing again and patted my back, and I forced myself to relax. I wanted to appear as harmless as possible until I knew what had happened to Keno and where I was. Was I this man's prisoner? A guest? The voice sounded familiar, but I wasn't going to show him I was awake by opening my eyes to find out who it was. I would pretend to be asleep and see what I could gather for information. "How is she?" another man asked. 101
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"Warm, finally," my bedmate replied. "She's been drifting in and out of it." "McGann says that she's dangerous," the other man continued. "That she's a powerful Nipponese lord that you met before, Mason." "Kickass," Mason replied. "Tough as nails and has a bigger set of balls than McGann, Logan. Be nice to her." I shifted, shocked when I heard the name, and he winced, then moved me again. "Ball buster, too, which she just demonstrated by squishing mine. She's in charge of some place in Nippon. Have McGann tell you about it." "The other one's okay too," Logan said. "He's going to be asleep for a while, though." "Good," Mason said, "I was worried about Keno. He's a good kid. Don't give him any shit." I heard Logan move off, and Mason stroked my back, gently telling me, "I know that you're awake." I looked up at him, knowing that fooling him wasn't an option. "And what are you going to do?" I hated the fact that I sounded weak, almost frightened. "Well, you're warmer now but still shivering a bit. All I was planning to do was keep you warm. You're a sexy mama, but I also know you can turn me into Jell-O. I remember that trick you pulled with Heiseg. And thank you for doing that to the fucker, for what he did to Keno." I stared up at him, confused. Mason had been a buffoon when he had stayed with me when the Trust had blundered into the Dreamlands for the first time. From what I had been told by Fuse, that was a mask for a man who cared deeply. 102
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He had been the one who had made sure that Fuse had not suffered at the hands of her captors when the one called Murphy had spirited her into the real world. I was just surprised to see he was willing to do the same for me. Fuse was still an innocent woman. I hadn't thought that of myself since I was nine. "Quickest way to get you warmed up was to pop you naked into bed with someone. I didn't think that these folks would like to see two women together, no matter how hot that is, so McGann was out. I figured that you wouldn't mind me too much, since Wolf grabbed Keno and you don't know Logan." "And it kept the rest of your party safe," I whispered. Mason didn't say anything but shifted so that he could give me something to drink. I grimaced at the taste of the water but still drank it down eagerly. I rested against him, since the cold still filled me. I was surprised that he continued to stroke my back gently, petting me like he might a cat. Mason seemed to be a very gentle man, for all that he had hunted me and mine in the real world. Honest, too, now that I remembered the conversations we had had when we met before. He had acted a buffoon, but not foolish like the others. He had been willing to admit to his prejudices and worries. While he was not someone I could tolerate for long, he was oddly comforting right now. "Don't get too pissed if you wake up with something poking at you," Mason said roughly after a couple of minutes. "I know that you're not interested. Don't kill me because my dick was too stupid to figure it out." 103
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I didn't say anything, trying not to be embarrassed for some reason. I drifted off to sleep, plotting on what I needed to do to get back to my estate. I wasn't going to tell him I wasn't able to do anything to harm him. My powers were tied to Nippon, to the land I had claimed and was lord over. Since I was not there and had not left Nippon voluntarily, those powers were cut off from me. I was also exhausted and unable to keep my eyes open any longer. **** I woke up again, alone, but carefully tucked under the blankets. Mason was dressed and sitting by the side of the bed with a man with a very strange hairstyle, a mixture of thin braids and shaved areas. Mason smiled at me when he saw I was awake. I sat up carefully, feeling not exactly weak, but odd, since I was cut off from my land. "Tamazusa-sama, this is Logan Sawyer. Wolf and McGann are still fussing over Keno. He's been awake on and off, but he's gonna be okay." Mason leaned over and handed me a rough clay mug with water in it. I sipped at it appreciatively and tried to smile winningly at them. Logan seemed to respond to it, but my smile seemed to make Mason nervous. "I was worried about him," I said. "How's he doing?" Mason asked me. I knew he was asking about Keno's life in general. I looked at him, debating how to answer that. "He is fine," I said slowly. "Aboshi and my samurai adore him. If it wasn't for his power, we wouldn't be here." 104
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"Was he with you?" Mason asked, his eyes shadowed. I knew he was remembering the last time we had been together. Aboshi had nearly killed him. "He decided that it would be better if one of us stayed at our estate," I explained. "He trusted Keno to guard me. Which he did an excellent job of. I wouldn't be here if it were not for him." One of the Northern woman stomped up to us, eyeing me as if I were last week's garbage. She smelt like a tavern wench and was dressed in a dirty, coarse woolen dress. Her greasy hair was braided back, and her face was smudged. She had the gall to look down her nose at me, though, and I was aware of the fact that I was barely dressed in an odd cotton top. I wondered what had happened to my clothing. I gathered my dignity around me, as tattered as it was, and stared back at the woman calmly. "So the skraeling woman is finally awake," she grunted. "I am Helga." The one called Logan winced and Mason frowned. Even if I didn't know the word, I knew that it was an insult from the tone of her voice. "I wonder what happened to my clothing?" I asked, trying to sound humble. I hated having to do that, but I was stranded in this territory and almost powerless. "Ruined," she sniffed. "Yours and the other skraeling's were destroyed by the salt. It was soft and pretty, too." She glared at me. "You know about cooking? Cleaning? Sewing? Or are the two of you just Southern fluff?" 105
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"I am not familiar with the food of the Northerners," I told her. Cook? Clean? Why did she expect me to know that? I was the master of my own kuni. I did not do such menial things! "Fluff," the woman sighed, and she stomped off again. "They gave Wolf grief because his wife couldn't do any of that shit either," Mason told me quietly. "Thought that she was the lowest thing on Earth because she wasn't barefoot and cooking for her man." "That isn't fair," Logan protested. "Icelandic women had the most freedom of any women in Europe of the time. However, in a preindustrial society, food preparation is labor intensive and mostly something that the women are expected to do. The men are expected to do the other chores that need more muscle power." "And how is Wolf?" I asked, ignoring Logan's protest and explanation. He was a scholar, if he talked like that. So what was he doing with these people? "I assume that McGann is his 'wife'? She was a most sensible woman. Much better than the one who was chasing after him." I knew that Wolf wasn't in actuality married to McGann. That woman wasn't foolish enough to tie herself down. "Good," Mason said. He looked at Logan and shook his head. "I told the rest of the posse here that I was keeping an eye out for you." "I do not need your protection!" I snarled. I hadn't needed a man's protection in centuries, not since before I had died. That I needed it now was demeaning, and that it was this man, slightly embarrassing and appalling. 106
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Mason tried to sound soothing. "Just so you won't be forced to do something because someone was stupid. Chicks are in short supply here." "I wouldn't worry about it," Logan muttered. "Skraeling is a word that's an insult." "I know that," Mason growled. "So?" "Skraeling," Logan started, looking embarrassed, "it means wretch. In the sagas, some scholars think that the Norse didn't even consider the skraelingjar to be human. They use that word to describe the Native Americans." "Well, they're kind of confused about me too," Mason said with an odd look in his eyes. "They haven't gone as far as to tell me to stay away from their women, but none of these people seem to have seen someone who ain't lily white. They all were really happy that I took you in, 'cause you'd keep me occupied, in a manner of speaking. I'd be fucking pissed about it, 'cept they ain't being assholes. They're just backwoods bikers." I thought about that. Wolf, McGann, and Logan were all the same "type," for lack of a better word, light-skinned, pale hair, and blue or green eyes, looking a lot like my involuntary hosts. Mason's darker skin and eyes could be thought of as exotic and attractive or as a sign that he wasn't human. It seemed our hosts were provincial enough to think the latter. I knew I was prejudiced against them, because many were tied to their land and could barely journey a ri or two from their homes. I had been able to move about freely because of Aboshi's ability to travel the shadows. If he had been with me during the meeting with Iida, I wouldn't be here. 107
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Unfortunately, I had become overconfident and was now suffering for it. If it hadn't been for Keno, I would have suffered the same fate as my faithful Reavers. I shivered at the thought. "I think that the women are much more of a threat to me than the men," I said after a minute of silence. "What about Keno?" Mason asked. "He's... well, your boy toy...." "I don't know if I should be amused or angered that you think of Keno-chan in such a manner," I said quietly. "I assure you he isn't my or anyone's 'toy'. What is wrong with Keno-chan? You told me...." I tried to keep the fear out of my voice, since I was suddenly terrified that something had happened to him. That would drive Aboshi insane, I knew. My companion was even more deeply in love with this Keno than he had been with his ancestor in the real world. "Tired," Mason assured me. "But what did you mean about Keno's power?" **** Keno I woke up nuzzling a chest and then realized it wasn't Samojirou's. I panicked, wondering what was happening, since the last thing I remembered was the storm. I tried to figure out where I was, not wanting the man I was with to know that I was awake yet. The man wasn't Asian, I could tell from the hair that was tickling my nose, and he was in good shape, from the muscles that I felt. We were tangled together, naked, and I was warm for the first time in ages, it 108
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seemed, with heavy woolen blankets weighing me down. I was exhausted and felt that I had been training in the hot sun for hours. I felt a hand gently stroking my hair, and I was suddenly aware of how much I itched from the sea salt caked to my skin. I wondered about the smell of the place I was in, smoky and earthy, the same smells I was getting off of the man who held me. I looked up and was shocked to see Wolf was the one holding me. "Keno?" he whispered. "Wolf." He looked tired. His hair was a bit longer, and it looked and smelled like he hadn't had a shower in a while. Not that he smelled bad, just not clean. "Where?" "Hoppsfjord," Wolf said, "the farm of Grima Njalsson." "The Northlands," I whispered, recognizing the name as being a Norse one. "Who... where...." "What happened?" Wolf asked softly when he realized I had trouble asking him what I wanted to know. "A storm," I said slowly, trying to gather my thoughts. I was tired and confused, but I needed to know if Tamazusa or anyone else had survived. "The ship fell apart. I don't know how I got here. Who...?" Wolf hesitated and then said, "Just Tamazusa." "The Reavers," I murmured, upset that no one else had seemed to survive. I was almost certain none of the sailors had had any idea what was going on. "The storm made it too windy for them to fly, and the rain soaked their wings. The things in the water... when the ship broke apart, Tamazusa109
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sama and I couldn't do anything to help them. They knew it, too. And those poor sailors...." "Keno? What about him?" Wolf asked when I didn't complete my thought. It figured that Wolf didn't want to talk about Samojirou by naming him. I was too tired to be angry. Wolf had been upset about the choice I had made, choosing the Dreamlands over him. "Samojirou-sama wasn't with us. I was supposed to protect my lord. I walked into a trap with her." "She still gave you to that man!" Wolf hissed. "You owe her nothing. She isn't someone that you can trust." Obviously, he was still upset about that. I wasn't going to argue with him about it. I knew it was a waste of time. But I was going to tell him how I felt, even if he didn't believe me. "After what happened to me that night, I needed someone to take care of me. Even if Heiseg hadn't raped me, I would have needed someone to watch over me." "That—" "You can't tell me that it wasn't bad! You got me into that mess, instead of shooting me like you should have! You made me a prisoner." "What happened?" Wolf asked. I didn't want to lie to him, and frankly, I knew I couldn't anger him by doing that. I needed allies to get Tamazusa safely back to her kuni. I needed him and anyone else who was here from the Trust, as hard as that was to admit. But that didn't mean I was going to tell him everything about what had happened. He just needed to know the basics, not who was involved. It wasn't like he knew any of the players 110
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besides Tamazusa. "My lord was going to meet with another lord, one in the South. We were traveling by ship, and he had been interested in talking with her. He spent several days doing so, almost courting her, even if she didn't seem interested in him. "On the fourth day, we were betrayed. It was during that time that Ii... the other lord and his escort disappeared from the ship, I realized it was a trap then. Tamazusa-sama tried to gate out of there but couldn't. Something was blocking her. The ship was destroyed around us. I don't know how we got here." "We found you washed up on the shore. The ship was in pieces," Wolf whispered, sounding raw and needy. I yawned and wanted to say something else, but I fell asleep again instead. **** When I woke up again, I was alone in bed, but McGann was sitting by it. I sat up carefully, and she handed me a mug of water. I sipped at it and studied her. She was dressed in a black T-shirt and cargo pants with her hair pulled back into a tight braid. She looked younger, for some reason, and just strange, because I was used to seeing her in suits. I couldn't figure out what she was doing here. Wolf, I could see, and I was betting there was a handful of Trouble Consultants here with him. Wherever here was. Wolf had told me, but I still didn't know where we were besides North. "How are you feeling, Keno?" she asked me quietly. "Or should I say Sakura?" 111
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"Sakura is Samojirou-sama's companion. She wouldn't be here," I corrected. I just didn't want her to call me that. "I'm tired." "You've been asleep for a while," McGann said. "You've slept though dinner. I can get you some, though. It's some sort of mutton stew." I tried not to choke at the thought of it. She frowned at me and shook her head. "You have to eat something." "I'm a vegetarian," I said. "And I'm not hungry." I wasn't. I was more tired and thirsty than anything. I realized I was wearing someone's T-shirt, probably Wolf's, from the smell of it, but nothing else. "How is my lord?" "I thought—" McGann started with a frown, before she understood what I was asking her. "Oh, you mean Tamazusa. She's fine. Mason—please don't get mad—Mason's sort of taken her under his protection. The Norse here seem to be very insular." "Wolf?" I asked. Norse meant we were in the Northern lands. I just had to figure out where. Once I did that, I could try to get Tamazusa home. I didn't know exactly why Iida betrayed us or who or what he was allied with. Iida had to have allied himself with someone or something powerful to block Tamazusa's ability to create gates. Not that it would have gotten us back to her kuni. She could only go to the real world. But once there, she would have been able to get us back home. I blinked back the tears when I thought of what Samojirou must be going through. He would be devastated, thinking that 112
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we were dead. I tried not to focus on that, but on the danger that was with me: McGann. "I told him to take a walk," she said quietly. "I wanted to talk to you alone." "What do you want?" It wasn't a good sign that she had sent Wolf away. I didn't think she was going to do something bad to me, since this was a semipublic place. However, Wolf was a nice guy, and if she didn't want him around, it was because he wouldn't agree to whatever she wanted to talk to me about, so that meant it wasn't anything nice. There was all the damage I had done to the servers before I escaped from the Trust again. I knew she had to be angry with me for that. "I don't expect you to agree to this, and in fact, I know that I should be talking to Tamazusa, but you can tell me how to approach her." "I don't understand," I said. McGann leaned over and felt my forehead. I noticed she was also checking out who was nearby. While the place was crowded, there weren't too many people near us. But she still kept her voice low when she was talking to me. I guessed she didn't trust anyone here. Why was I not surprised? "I feel that this isn't a good place to be." "You gated here," I replied in the same low tone. "It's not like we can control it," she said. "Why not?" I asked, trying not to sound sarcastic. I didn't know much about creating gates, even though I was studying some of the magical tomes in Tamazusa's library. Samojirou hadn't found someone he trusted to teach me magic yet. 113
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Creating a Gate was blood magic and something Samojirou didn't want me to do. Plus, I really didn't need to know how to do something like that, with either Samojirou or Tamazusa around to do it for me without someone having to die. But I knew the theory well enough; you had to have a pretty good idea of where you wanted to go or things got messy real fast and the caster usually got lost. I wondered if that had been the problem the first time they were here, why they hadn't known where they were. Fairinox had had no idea how to anchor a gate or direct it. That was probably why Heiseg had gotten monsters when he had opened his; he had opened his Gate into one of the areas of the Dreamlands where only monsters lived, so that's why he had gotten those Hakarl that had attacked and eaten almost everyone on Boylston Street. Or he could have been insane and hateful enough to have planned it that way on purpose. "Are your magicians so incompetent that they can't control their own spells?" "And what would you know about that?" she asked. "I studied it," I said, knowing she wasn't going to believe anything else. "So you can open a gate?" "I know the theory, but my lord doesn't want me to dabble in blood magic," I said scathingly. "And I wouldn't even if she hadn't told me not to." McGann winced and pulled back. "I—" "Don't act innocent," I said softly. "We both know what the cost is to come here. Does Wolf?" "I follow the orders of the Trustees, as does everyone else with me," she said evasively. She wasn't looking at me, 114
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though; she was staring at the ground. She wasn't happy, but she couldn't get away. I still couldn't feel sorry for her, though. Back when I had been a prisoner of the Trust, she could have told the Trouble Consultants not to bother me, and she hadn't. I noticed that she hadn't answered my question. "Like Fairinox?" I asked sarcastically. "Collins's pet magician. The man was unclean." "And what happened to Collins?" McGann asked me, looking up from the ground. "He died," I told her shortly. "And are you asking me how to throw yourself upon Tamazusa-sama's mercy?" "Partly," she said. "I feel that we would be good allies." "Here and now," I clarified. "But what about the future? When you... we leave this delightful place, what then?" "I don't understand," she said. "Is this to be an alliance of convenience?" I asked. "Or something more permanent? And since when do the Trustees want allies? I thought we were the monsters." "Things have changed," she said quietly. She didn't look happy that I considered myself one of the monsters. "Have they?" I asked her, deliberately cynical. "If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that, I might believe you." "I...." She shook her head. "You've changed. You seem more confident now." "I hope I have changed," I said. "It's been over a year." She looked shocked. "Really? But.... Time really does pass differently here." 115
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Wolf walked back then, holding a small bowl in his hands. He looked at McGann with a small smile on his face. "I think that Keno needs to have something to eat." I shuddered at the thought of mutton, and McGann shook her head. "Wolf. Keno informed me that he doesn't eat meat. I don't think he'd be interested in the stew." "This is gruel," Wolf said, frowning slightly. "I thought it would be easier on his stomach." "Thank you," I said with a smile. "Where exactly are we?" "Hoppsfjord," Wolf told me. "I think that it's on what might be the Faeroe Islands," McGann explained. Wolf acted embarrassed that he hadn't explained that better. "I'm not really sure, but you're a long way from Nippon." "Hundreds of ri," I said softly, remembering the map of the Dreamlands. I straightened up and looked at the two of them. "And where is my lord?" "She's with Mason," Wolf said. "He's taking good care of her." I threw the covers back and swung my feet over the edge of the bed, ignoring how dizzy and tired I felt. "Keno—" McGann started and then helped me up. Wolf looked at the two of us like we were nuts. "He's not going to rest or eat until he sees her," she explained. Wolf handed McGann the bowl he was holding and scooped me up. "I can walk," I protested.
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"And Tamazusa's going to be furious that we let you," Wolf said. "I don't want to make her upset. You've both had a bad time of it. Let me do this." I wondered why they were both worried about making Tamazusa mad. I felt like an idiot being carried, but I was exhausted. I wanted several days of rest and pampering by Samojirou, but I didn't think that was going to happen anytime soon. I had to get Tamazusa to safety, no matter what it cost me. While I was being carried to Tamazusa, I noticed the people here. Mostly men, all were tall and light-haired. I felt like I was seeing McGann's and Wolf's families. I didn't know if that was a good thing. They were all staring at me, and I heard more than a few comments being made in a language I didn't understand. Wolf knew it, though. I could tell from the way he tightened his grip on me once in a while. I didn't think the comments were nice ones, judging from his reaction. Wolf thankfully set me down when we got to Mason's bunk. I didn't know the man who was with them, but I knew he was from the Trust, not the Norse, by his hairstyle and what he was wearing. Tamazusa was also dressed in someone's T-shirt, but she looked all right other than that. "I'm taking good care of your sister," Mason told me before he gave me a hug. "You better," I said quietly. I was surprised he had said that, but it made sense. It would give me an excuse for me to be worried about her, but it wouldn't let any one of these barbarians know who she was exactly. I wondered who had 117
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thought of that ruse, because I knew it hadn't been Wolf. "You really don't want to piss me off." Mason laughed, "I know you kick ass." He looked around casually, checking to see if there was anyone near us but our party. There wasn't anyone within earshot. "Fuck, I would've gone with married, but seeing that she was in bed with me, that would open a whole new can of worms." "Mason," I practically growled, amazed that he had been the one to think of such a clever ruse. "Shit, she's a nice lady," Mason said seriously. "And she's got this trick with Jell-O that I really don't want her to show me, so I'm treatin' her good. Fuck, it'll be like I'm doin' it with McGann. So don't worry about her, no matter what it fuckin' looks like." "Keno, Mason has been most considerate of me," Tamazusa said in Japanese. "I simply have to accept his attentions at this time." "Tamazusa-sama?" I started. Tamazusa shook her head slightly, and I didn't continue my question. We were in enemy territory, and I didn't know if Wolf and the rest of them were friend or foe. I hated thinking that about Wolf, but it was true. I didn't trust him not to grab me and take me back to the real world because he thought it would be better for me. And then there was McGann's talk about an alliance. With what had happened last time, did they really think it would be a good idea? Did they think Tamazusa and the others would forgive them for what they had done? Or forget it? If they did, then they were insane. 118
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One of the Norsemen came over to see what was happening. He was tall and graying; I'd have said he was in his midfifties if I had seen him in the real world. He was dressed in coarse woolen trousers and a rough linen shirt like a peasant. I guessed we were in some sort of peasant village. At least I hoped so, because this place was really poor if the nobility dressed like that. "You know these skraelingjar?" he barked, trying to take control of the situation. I saw Mason make a face at the word skraelingjar and guessed it was some sort of insult. "You should talk to my master about that," Mason said. I was surprised he didn't sound angry; he wasn't too happy when someone, usually Murphy, threw nasty names around. And him using the word "master" just confused me. "It is his business to tell you." The guy glared at us and then looked at Wolf, who looked at McGann quickly before telling the man, "Grima, we are travelers. We have met these two before. Let us talk alone. They are tired and still ill." They moved off, and I wondered what was going on here. Why was the Trust here? How was I going to get Tamazusa home? How much could I trust Wolf or Mason? "'Master'?" I asked Mason, wanting some answers "Wolf told these guys that he was in charge and that he was married to McGann." Mason grinned. "But I don't know how good everyone's English is, so talking about it...." "I understand," I told him. Mason shrugged. "It ain't like I know shit anyways." 119
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"I'm Logan Sawyer," the other man said. "Inuzaka Keno," I said with a bow. "And you've met my sister, Tamazusa-sama." It was true in a weird way, given our relationship. It wasn't like what was between my brothers Shino and Sousuke and Shino's wife Hamaji, but Tamazusa and I were close. What wasn't being said was that he better respect the two of us, but I thought he was getting a hint of that from the look in my eyes. Most of Tamazusa's samurai thought of me as their younger brother, but they also knew I was a warrior like they were. "And the ship?" I asked. "Kindling," Logan said. "A pity," I remarked with a shrug. I didn't want him to know how badly that shook me. How had the two of us survived? Why hadn't anyone else? "Keno-chan, you are still ill from our experience," Tamazusa said in Japanese, looking annoyed. "I needed—" I started in the same language. At least she wasn't scolding me in a language the others understood. "I am supposed to protect you. I promised Samojirou-sama that I would." "I have accepted Mason's protection for the moment," she said. "He is a man of honor. It is not that you cannot protect me. It would just be better that Mason appears to be my protector." I nodded and regretted doing that when the room shifted. Logan caught me and sort of guided me to another bunk. "Sit. And when's the last time you ate?" 120
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"I don't know," I said truthfully. "Wolf had a bowl of gruel for me, but I insisted on seeing how my sister was doing." "I'll get it," Logan said. He left, and I looked at Mason. "New guy," he said shortly, knowing what I wanted from him. "Lab rat." I nodded and then, when the room spun around again, decided that lying down was a good idea. Tamazusa slipped from the bed and checked on me. I didn't know if I should be surprised or shocked to see she was only wearing a T-shirt. I had never seen her this undressed, and I thought that I blushed. "Our clothing's ruined," she said calmly. "And for now, we're going to have to depend on these people, as well as deal with the Northerners. That is why I agreed to Mason being my protector." I looked at her and knew how much she hated that. But there was something wrong here. Why did we have to depend on Wolf's protection? "Big Sister?" Tamazusa smiled at me, proud that I hadn't called her "my lord." "I fear I have fallen victim to part of Iida's plot. I haven't left Nippon voluntarily." My eyes widened, but other than that, I fought not to react. I knew what she was hinting at. All of her power was tied to the land, the kuni she had fought for and claimed. She had been driven from her land; therefore, she could no longer draw upon it for power. She was as powerless as if she had been a mere mortal. Not helpless, I'd never think that of her. Then it hit me: Samojirou would know this, too, and think we 121
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were dead—or worse. He'd know it and have to try and claim Tamazusa's kuni before someone else did. If he wanted to. "I understand," I whispered. I had to get back. I didn't know what Samojirou might do if he thought I was no longer with him. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Six Samojirou I was restless, for some reason. The scroll of poetry I was reading wasn't holding my attention. It wasn't like Keno hadn't been gone from me before. There had been several days in the beginning of our relationship that we had been separated because Fuse had taken him away while Tamazusa and I were dealing with Collins. Then there was the time he spent with his family upon occasion, without me, even if it wasn't often. So why was I so restless now? I wandered out of my study and into the iris garden. For some reason, all the Reavers seemed to be gathered in this spot. I didn't know how many of them were on the estate; they paid more attention to Tamazusa and Keno than to me. Reavers and creatures like that were attracted to unusual power. They had decided to form a guard for Tamazusa, but very few Nipponese lords had allies such as they were. I had seen other such arrangements in other lands, with other intelligent beings of the Dreamlands, but they were rare. While we oni and other beings like that lived here, it was the Reavers and the Hakarl that were natives of this place. We had simply moved in and claimed it as ours, it seemed, from what little that I have discovered about the history of the Dreamlands. Tamazusa hadn't been wrong when she'd said that the Dreamlands just are. A handful of the Reavers had gone with Tamazusa when she had decided to negotiate with Iida. I wondered what kind 123
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of alliance the man wanted. There had been a rumor or two that he was interested in taking a consort, which was why he probably approached my lady. I believed he thought that since I had Sakura to amuse me, Tamazusa would consent to his proposition. That he was stupid enough to believe that she would let a man run her life, much less her kuni, showed me she would never ally with him. She had decided to talk with him, because he was powerful enough that she'd didn't want to unnecessarily insult him by ignoring his request. Besides, Iida might be getting something out of this, just not my lady or her lands. And she would get to plot and plan to her heart's content. Okita and I dealt with anything that needed to be done in Tamazusa's absence. I even managed to sit justice in her place, which seemed to startle many people. But I said nothing on the matter, just glaring at the one fool who hinted that I had deposed her. Fortunately, there had been enough witnesses to her departure and journey to the coast that many knew she was still living, in a manner of speaking. I didn't need the rumors of her trip to spread throughout Nippon, which would make most of our neighboring lords eye the borders of the kuni and wonder if they needed to be altered. I did, however, restrict my travels, sending regrets to those who inquired that Sakura was ill. That sent even more confusing and contradictory rumors around Nippon. It would have been amusing if I weren't worried about Keno and Tamazusa. The Reavers abruptly all at once turned to the north, and I shivered. Reavers were alike as beans in a pod, with their 124
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inky blank faces, but even this was too just eerie for me. Suddenly they all launched into the sky as one, flying away, their powerful wings taking them out of my sight in minutes. I shuddered at the sight. I went to return to my study when my knees buckled and I fell, vomiting. Something was wrong. I thought of poison as I vomited up what I had eaten for breakfast. I dismissed that thought, though, when I realized how off things suddenly felt to me. I was powerful enough to have claimed my own kuni. I had just chosen not to, preferring to support Tamazusa instead. I had no interest in wielding that kind of power. If I were honest, I would say that something had happened when the first Inuzaka Keno had banished me here, a change in me that had caused me to lose all ambition for power. It was difficult to admit, but I confess that after the first century or so, I was relieved I didn't have the interest or the drive to play the Game as Tamazusa and so many others did. I was content with the scholarship that was my life here. Keno coming back into my life was wonderful. We didn't have the relationship I'd had with his ancestor. It was better, I'm not ashamed to say. Keno was innocent in ways that his ancestor had never been, having been consumed by the vengeance his vow had forced upon him. Coaxing Keno into trusting me had been a delightful experience for the two of us. We were in love and able to spend our lives here as we desired, something we had been denied before. I saw Okita running toward me, and I wondered what was wrong. The samurai had been checking on me daily, 125
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something I knew Keno had asked them to do. I was amused that Keno thought I couldn't take care of myself. I struggled to stand up, trying to ignore the fact that I was shaking and weak. I got to my feet, and then it hit me: a wave of power I had never felt before, making me feel drained and energized at the same time. I staggered under its impact, and Okita barely caught me. I was overwhelmed by the power filling me. Then I shook off his help and looked around me in horror. I recognized what was happening, why I was feeling this way. The power of Tamazusa's kuni had been unleashed. While I was the most powerful oni here, that didn't mean that I would be its lord. Everyone was feeling this, to some extent. Okita stared at me, worried. I opened my mouth to reassure him, and all that came out was a howl of pain and loss. If Tamazusa had lost control of her kuni, that meant she was dead. If she was dead, then Keno was also, since he would have died protecting her. I howled again over the loss, anger, and pain his death caused me. I was grateful when Okita hit me on the back of the head with the hilt of his katana. I didn't want to be awake anymore. I didn't want to be aware of the fact that I had lost Keno again. **** Tamazusa Mason was the one to give me something to wear, along with the man named Logan. Between the two of them, I was clothed. Not decently, though. I was dressed in something called cargo pants and a T-shirt, both too big for me, altered 126
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for my wear in various ways. The only pieces of my clothing to survive were my undergarments. Rinsed out, they were clean, even if the silk had been ruined by the salt water and smelled like smoke. I assumed I had only gotten them back because they were too small for any of the women here. Mason giving me clothing also showed the barbarians that he was my "protector". I had to use McGann's spare pair of boots, though, because these barbarians wouldn't even give me a rough pair of sandals. I wondered what Keno was going to do, since he was smaller than I. "You're looking good," Mason told me with a grin. "Please," I almost snarled at him. I had gotten cleaned up a little and had managed to braid my hair back. I'd had to borrow Logan's comb to do so, and it had taken about an hour. I felt dirty, though, and longed for a soak in my onsen. Washing up in a cold-water tub does not get you either clean or relaxed. I knew I should be polite and charming to the one who was my protector; however, I had a feeling that such things would be wasted on Mason. "Hell, it's still black," Mason told me with a grin, not put out by my temper. I suddenly thought that if I had been charming, that would have disturbed him more. "Not like we stuck you in a Hello Kitty T-shirt or something." "I have no idea what you're talking about," I said. I liked the color black, and I had decided centuries ago that it would be the only color I would be seen in, since I didn't have to dress as a woman of the pleasure class anymore. However, it seemed I was doomed to play that role again. Not that I thought Mason would press his claim on me, since the man 127
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had a rough sort of honor. I didn't know about the one called Logan, though. "I think that she'd look good in—" Logan started, and then he must have decided being here wasn't a good idea, because he stopped speaking and quickly left the area. Mason just shook his head. "Shit, he's worse than Wolf at times." Something in me eased when he said that. Logan would be no threat to me. But Keno knew our predicament now. I was proud of the control he had shown when I told him, but I also knew he, too, feared for Aboshi's sanity. I thought I was going to have to have someone watch him closely so that Keno didn't try to swim back to Nippon. But I really couldn't ask someone to do so without telling them the reason why, which I would never do. Helga stomped up to us again and glared at me. "You will help." I opened my mouth to protest and then saw that McGann had also been "invited" to help this woman, since she was following her. It would be a good time to get to know the other woman and find out why these real world people were here again. McGann looked almost as thrilled to be doing this as I was. It wasn't like I didn't know what went on in my kitchens, but I left those arrangements to Aboshi to deal with. And I had never worked in one! What we were to help with was plucking chickens for dinner, a dirty and demeaning job. That didn't bother me too much; it was the fact that we were supposed to wring their necks before we cleaned them. I didn't have a problem with 128
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killing them; it's just that I had no idea how to do so. In my entire existence, I had never had to do something like this. But while I was simply was ignorant, McGann got almost physically ill at the snap of the bird's neck that Helga cheerfully slaughtered it in front of us. I saw the color drain from McGann's face and hurried her out of the cooking area before she disgraced herself. I got her outside and made her sit down before she collapsed. She leaned against the side of the hut, struggling not to vomit, her complexion a most interesting shade of green. "I don't suppose there's a reason for your reaction?" I asked her after a few minutes. She looked at me and swallowed heavily. "Chicken is supposed to be wrapped in plastic and bought in the supermarket. Not...." "They're not going to understand that," I said, wondering what a supermarket or plastic was. I'd have to ask Keno about that later. "She... I felt...." McGann stuttered to a stop before she turned her chin and started retching. I held her head while she did so, wondering exactly what her problem was. She was reacting worse than Keno did about such things, and he never touched flesh to eat. Helga eventually came out to check on us, looking annoyed that she had to. McGann was shaking and washed out. I had managed to clean up the mess she had made by kicking loose dirt over it. That had worked because she had mostly bile in her stomach. "You breeding?" Helga demanded. 129
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I swear that McGann stared at her in shock for a full minute, before blushing bright red. Keno used to do that when the samurai had embarrassed him somehow. It didn't happen as often now as it had in the beginning. "Your first?" Helga persisted. I was surprised she didn't start examining McGann to confirm her guess. I doubted that was the real reason for McGann's squeamishness, but neither was the explanation she had given me, that she was unused to seeing an animal butchered. I wondered what her real reason was, and then I decided I didn't care. I had to get back to my kuni and my power. When I was safe, then I could worry about what the Trust was doing here again. "Your man's, right?" Helga continued. "Not the strange looking one's?" McGann looked at her as if she didn't understand what the woman was asking her. I might have been right about that, because Helga's English was rough and heavily accented. But I also thought that accusing her of adultery was terribly rude. Helga wasn't happy here, I guessed, and she was trying to do something to get into Wolf's favor. Or was she trying to get the two of us to fight, thinking we both wanted Mason? Or that McGann would actually admit she had been untrue to Wolf—not that they were really married. The ploy was crude, and I almost laughed at Helga for attempting it. "Do you think that she is a slut like you?" I drawled. McGann stared at the two of us in shock as I continued. "And what makes you think that Wolf would be interested in the likes of you? Or that any one of them would be?" 130
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Helga stepped up to me, raising her hand. "Skraeling—" I grabbed it, yanked her forward, and then twisted her arm behind her back, turning her around neatly and easily. I was powerless, but I wasn't a victim. I was weaker than I should be, but Helga was also a lesser sort of spirit. If she had had any power, she wouldn't be on a farm in the backwoods. "Slaughter the chickens without us," I told her coolly. "We will be overjoyed to clean them, after they're dead." "Tamazusa," McGann started. I shoved Helga away from me, and she glared at me. I glared back, not worried about it. I've felt more threatened by Hakarl, but she was someone to watch. Helga stomped off, knowing I was willing to fight back and make her rethink her campaign to snare Wolf. She was confused about why I had allied myself with McGann instead of fighting her too. I wasn't going to tell her that I would be the last woman Wolf would have bed sport with, even if I were interested in the man. "I don't know how to clean a chicken," McGann said after an uneasy silence. She had no idea what was going on. I almost decided to explain it to her and then decided not to. I knew too well the fights women would have over a man. If McGann were innocent of such things, I wasn't going to be the one to enlighten her. "She can show us, then, since I don't know either," I snapped. "But I doubt that you'd been able to kill them." McGann nodded and then looked around. We were alone, and I could tell she wanted to talk to me. Wolf may have been in charge, but McGann was the strategist of their group and the one that I was going to have to deal with. I wanted 131
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that, too, since she was much more intelligent than he was and not prejudiced by hatred, as he was. "I talked to Keno earlier." "And what did he say?" I asked. "That I should talk to you," she replied with a cool smile, attempting to get her control back. "Among other things, but that was the only one that mattered." "Really?" I asked, arching my left eyebrow. "And what is it that you need to talk to me about?" McGann got up, brushing off her knees and then the seat of her pants "Let's take a walk." I motioned for her to go and fell in beside her. We were out of hearing range for most everyone here, and I didn't care that Helga would be angry that she couldn't find us when she wanted to. She was lording over us because she was the lowest-ranked woman here. I didn't think she knew I had figured that out. That was one of the earliest lessons I had learned in my training and one I had never forgotten over the centuries. "The Trustees want an alliance," she said after a couple minutes of silence, when we were far enough away to talk without being interrupted. "How interesting," I said with small smile. "Was Collins an example of the Trustees' honor and intelligence?" She winced. "Some of them," she admitted. "Then there are others, so please don't think that they are all like that. Wolf's grandfather is a Trustee and a man of honor." "Why?" I asked flatly. I was in no mood to dance around the question. McGann wasn't up to playing games. She was 132
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tired and strained, the chicken incident apparently only the most recent in a long line of things draining her. I almost pitied her. She'd looked like that when she was at my kuni, so she might be one who the Dreamlands would never welcome. Her people were idiots to keep sending her here. But I supposed it could be that she was just physically exhausted from all the work that she was doing. It wasn't that she wasn't fit or healthy, but even I knew the work here was boring and draining. "Because they don't want to admit it, but we are losing the war," McGann said quietly. "Is there really a war?" I asked. "Or is it a game to them, much like the one I play with the other lords? Or one that your Trustees are the only ones fighting and the other side seems to be as confused about their intentions as a fox is about a fox hunt?" "Heiseg," McGann said quietly, ignoring my comments. I didn't mind. I wanted her to think about them. I entertained a faint hope that I might be able to turn her from her masters. "What about him?" I shrugged. "He was amusing. Arrogant and idiotic, much like Collins. I watched what he was doing to see how far he would fall, since he knew very little about either magic or the Dreamlands. I didn't think he would be so stupid as to open a gate and summon Hakarl." "Or rape anyone?" McGann asked coolly. I turned to face her, since that accusation stung. "That wasn't something he just thought up. Heiseg had planned that for a long time. He had the arrogance to do what he did 133
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because no one told him that he had limits. If I had known about Keno, I would have rescued him before it had gotten that far. But I wasn't the one who imprisoned a boy for a simple mistake, making him fear for his life." McGann was silent. "Keno was good. Even now, he'd probably give any other hacker a run for his money, not having touched a computer for as long as he has. He did a lot of damage when he ruined our servers. I think the Trustees were angrier about that incident than with Collins's kidnapping. But did you take Keno to save him or to use him?" "You expect me to say that I would have done so to save him," I said. "To use him, of course. But I wouldn't have abused and neglected him as much as you had, even if my consort hadn't taken him under his protection." "Abused?" McGann repeated. "Frightened out of his wits most of the time," I said scathingly, wondering how she could have been so ignorant of or callous about someone under her protection. "Hungry and always reminded that his simplest pleasure was at someone else's whim. What else would you call abuse? I think that you just didn't care enough to really hurt him." "Or didn't think about him as much as I should have," McGann said, not denying my accusations. "But aside from Keno and our treatment of him, do you have any issues with dealing with the Trust?" I hesitated for a second, thinking about my answer carefully. "I have no issues with the group that is here, since you all have been honorable with me in the past. Your 134
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Trustees are another matter. Collins was very informative when we had our 'discussions' before he died." McGann paled, but her voice was steady, "And what did you find out?" "I was always curious about why the real world was suddenly interested in the Dreamlands," I said. "He simply told me why. A most interesting reason, but I really doubt that the Dreamlands are the threat the Trustees think they are." "The monsters—" "Are vermin that manage to slip between the edges of our worlds. You should treat them as such. Other than that, we are no threat to you, no matter what your Trustees seem to think. So why do they think that they want an alliance here?" **** Mason I spent most of the day wandering around the island and wondering what we were going to have to do to get out of here. These people weren't the allies the Trustees were looking for. I didn't know why they were even bothering. We had been killing anything that came out of the Dreamlands for decades, and now they wanted to stop? What had changed? Did I really want to know? When I got back to the hut, Tamazusa was outside trying to scrub herself clean at what looked like a horse trough, which was what passed as a bathtub here. She looked pissed, which was an interesting look for her. I could have almost liked it, if my insides were going to survive intact. 135
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"Things that bad?" I asked cautiously. Her T-shirt was damp and sticking to her in a couple of interesting places. I reminded my dick of what Heiseg had looked like when we found him, and it behaved. She was skinnier than I remembered, but her kimonos had been in layers, from what I remember, which might have made her look heavier. Or it might be something else, because she wasn't acting like I remembered. There was something vulnerable about her now. "I loathe cooking," she said. I noticed that her nails were all broken now and she had a couple of nasty-looking bruises, as well as a few cuts on her hands and arms. I was going to have to dress those for her so they didn't get infected. We didn't need that crap on top of everything else. "That's why I eat out a lot," I said cheerfully. "Can't cook worth shit. What did Helga the Horrible have you doin'?" "Cleaning chickens. After that, it was scrubbing pots," she said. "McGann and I got all the dirty work." "'Cause you two are a pair of sexy mamas," I said with a grin. She glared at me. "Seriously, you two are," I added. "Does McGann know you think of her like this?" she asked. "Probably," I said. Hell, McGann was a 'path, she got to pick up a lot of stupid shit like that. "But it don't mean that I don't think that the two of you aren't kickass. Or smart enough to be in charge. I just like your packaging a lot more than Wolf's." "I have no idea what you're talking about," Tamazusa said with a shake of her head. 136
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"Speaking of talking, the two of us should go over some ground rules," I said. She frowned at me. "Ground rules?" I tried not to get flustered. Hell, McGann probably would be laughing her ass off if she could see me now, trying to be polite and nice to a woman, because I wasn't polite to a lot of people. But then, most of them weren't powerful oni, either. "Like, I'm supposed to be your protector." She froze. I tensed up and hoped she didn't turn my insides into Jell-O. I could see she was beyond pissed now. "Listen, I don't want you to have to do something stupid to these people." "I see," she said frigidly. "Yeah, well, I don't think any of these people are the sharpest pencil in the box." She wrinkled her brow at that one, trying to figure out what I was saying, I guessed, before asking, "You think of them as people?" "Just because they're dumbass enough to call you and me nasty names, that doesn't mean that they're not people," I said, trying not to sound too sarcastic. "Mason, we're in the Dreamlands," she said, like I was really stupid. I should have been pissed, but she wasn't being a bitch about it like Anya the ice bitch would have been. She was just trying to make me think or something like that. I wasn't going to tell her it was a waste of time. "Really?" I asked her sarcastically, watching the look of frustration on her face as she wondered if I was as dumb as I was acting. Shit, as dangerous as she was, she also was fun 137
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to tease. "Man, I thought this was a fun, fun time on spring break in Florida." "No one here," she said patiently, "is human, besides Keno and your party." "Shit, really?" I exclaimed. "Fuck, this isn't Florida, is it? That means the salsa dancing and mojitos are out. You got the wet T-shirt contest part down, at least." "That means that most of those in your organization will not think of anyone here as 'people'," she said slowly. I was just glad she didn't ask me what a wet T-shirt contest was. I hoped Keno or someone else didn't tell her. "That's something that they're gonna have to work on," I said, taking her seriously finally. "Shit." I thought about that. While I wasn't educated, I knew enough. I knew about all the shit that went down in our world when someone thought someone else wasn't a person. And I also knew how big a bastard most of the Trustees could be, never mind the grunts. Fucked didn't even cover it. If this alliance thing went through, we'd have to change our whole way of thinking because of it. I wondered if most of the other TCs could do that. I would bet they couldn't. While the Vikings here were kind of dumb, our people—well, none of us really— were thought to be too sane. Sane people didn't run around killing monsters. "You understand the issue?" she asked. I shrugged. "Can't take care of that here," I said. My willingness to not sweat the small stuff was the reason I was never going to be more than a TC. "Plus, fuck, I trust those fucking idiots about as far as can throw a Hakarl." 138
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"So you don't believe this talk of an alliance?" she asked, tilting her head to the side a little. I wasn't surprised to see that she probably agreed with my assessment of the Trustees. But what did she want from me? "Mrs. Adams said we're doing it. That's all I really have to know," I said. "But shit, you also know they don't tell me shit, either. McGann's the one to talk to about this." "Still playing the buffoon?" Tamazusa practically purred. "What you mean 'playing'?" I asked with a grin. "Mason, let us be frank," she said. "You are not the fool that you claim to be. While not a scholar, you are not ignorant." "Man, you need to talk to Murphy, then," slipped out before I even thought about it. That Tamazusa and Murphy hadn't parted on good terms didn't even cover the hard-on of hate Murphy had for her. I didn't know if the man hadn't liked her because she wasn't Irish or because of 'Nam or because she wasn't someone who took his shit. Fuck, I didn't know how she felt about him, but I knew she had been very willing to kill him. "He thinks that I'm dumber than dirt." "And how is he?" she asked. "Did he appreciate all that you did for him?" I shrugged. She knew what had happened even though she hadn't been there. Murphy had been screaming at the top of his lungs that I was a traitor because I'd traded that magic man Fairinox for Murphy's release, when Tamazusa had locked down Boylston Street while getting Fuse and Keno back from us. Never mind I did it for him and his wife and kids. "Traitor" was the nicest thing he'd been saying about 139
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me. She had heard most of it when I was bargaining for his life with her. And you know what? I was stupid enough to do it again if I had to. "I also assume, from what I learned from Keno and Collins, that his attitude was prevalent in your organization," Tamazusa continued without missing a beat. "So while McGann talks of alliances and this Mrs. Adams attempts to play the Game with me, I doubt that such a thing will happen." "Well, that's something that I'm really not gonna know about," I said. "I've been stuck being a fucking rent-a-cop for these people." "And why do you think that happened?" she asked, looking very interested all of a sudden. I knew I was out of my league here, but really didn't care. Shit, it wasn't like I had anything to hide here. "'Cause I didn't think that all you people here were the bad guys." "Fuse-hime was that charming?" she asked, trying not to sound too catty. "Actually, it was you and the boy toy," I told her, ignoring her surprised look. "You all were nice to the lot of us, even with the shit the ice bitch and Murphy were pulling. I know that no one would have batted an eye if you killed us. But you didn't and, shit...." "Thank you, Mason," Tamazusa said quietly when I didn't finish what I was saying, because I didn't know how. "And what was it that you needed to talk to me about?" "Um... shit, we're bunking together," I said in a rush. "Not that I don't think that Keno can take care of you or anything, 140
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it's just that he's little, and I don't think that being your 'brother' can shield you." "I see." Shit, that wasn't helping me any. "And you know, not that I'm hitting on you or anything, but I'm gonna have to show them, too, that you're... mine. Not that I think you can't take them or anything, just, you kill one of those idiots, and it's an 'us versus them' situation, and a lot of people would get hurt. Most likely Keno." She nodded slowly, her expression neutral. I knew she was giving me enough rope to hang myself, but I blundered on. "So, I'm going to be touching you a lot, just so they get the message. Not that I think that any of these men want to do something nasty to you. Drunk, one of them might be stupid enough to be curious." "But to them, I'm not thought of as a human being, according to your scholar," Tamazusa protested. "So I doubt that they would be interested in me that way." "Trust me, a guy gets drunk enough, the stupidest things sound like a good idea," I said. "Any of these guys make an Irishman look like a teetotaler." They put it away like there was no tomorrow in the evenings. Logan and I were given shit because we didn't keep up with them. I liked my liver, thank you very much, and didn't try to drink anyone under the table. "I think that you're just taking advantage of the situation," she said. It took me a long moment to realize she was teasing me. I grinned at her, relieved she wasn't pissed at me. 141
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"Damn straight, sister," I said. "Hard to find a hot mama like yourself in my line of work. So I'll be strutting around with you on my arm." She looked down at what she was wearing. I wasn't surprised to see it was covered in things I didn't want to think about. I'd lend her another top and see what I could do about getting stuff clean. She'd probably be one of the ones who got stuck with that chore too. "You and McGann make a plan," I suggested, trying to cheer her up. "Getting you and Keno home sounds better than sticking around here. These assholes are fucking nuts." "I fear that there is something that might complicate things," Tamazusa said softly. "Helga, and probably the rest of the women, because that woman cannot keep her mouth shut, seem to think that McGann is carrying Wolf's child." I couldn't help it. I choked and then practically fell on the ground laughing my ass off. It was too fucking funny. I'd ride Wolf for months about it. Tamazusa was just shaking her head at me. "Think," she practically hissed. "About what?" I asked. "And why do they think that McGann's got a bun in the oven?" Now that I was thinking about it, could these people get pregnant? Did demons or oni or whatever they were have kids? I hadn't seen any around, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. But I was going to have to ask someone else, because I was sure as hell not asking Tamazusa about the demon birds and the bees. I was pushing it with her as it was. I might have asked Keno about it, but then he might tell a 142
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little too much about his arrangement with Samojirou. Hell, I really didn't care. It wasn't like I was worrying about that right now, because I knew that Tamazusa and me weren't going to get that friendly. "She reacted most interestingly to a chicken being slaughtered in front of her," Tamazusa said. "It seemed a more acceptable explanation than whatever the truth is." "What do you mean?" I asked, grinning like a loon. This was going to be a great joke for a while. When we got back, I was going to make sure all the TCs heard about Wolf being a daddy. I just wasn't going tell them with who, though. I wasn't going to give McGann that grief, because the TCs didn't need to give her shit too. Plus, you never know with chicks about the baby issue. For all I knew, she wanted one and couldn't have one. "While I doubt that McGann is very familiar with how food gets to her table," Tamazusa said with a smile that told me she knew there was something we weren't telling her, "there is no doubt she knows that it once had life. Something upset her, and not for the reason she told me." I couldn't say anything. I knew that truth, and it was that McGann was a 'path. She probably got a stray thought out of Helga, and that was what made her lose her breakfast. I didn't want to know what it had been if it had made McGann puke. Tamazusa studied me, but she had to know I wasn't going to tell her shit. "I don't expect you to tell me what's going on. I just want to make sure that you are aware of the issue." "Shit, what does this have to do with me?" I asked. 143
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"Helga accused McGann of carrying your child, not Wolf's," Tamazusa said coolly. "Adultery isn't tolerated in this society." "What a bitch," I snarled. "Shit, I thought that I could stop worrying about that shit because the ice bitch wasn't here." "She is trying to get into Wolf's bed," Tamazusa explained. "He is a warrior and might be of high rank or at least someone who would get her out of here. That might only happen if McGann wasn't in the picture. But Helga is a fool, because I know how Wolf looks at McGann. He wouldn't believe any accusation or do anything against her. Helga is going to stir up trouble. She may attempt to trick Logan in some manner, so you should warn him about this. I'll get Keno to keep an eye on the man also. If she gets desperate or inventive, she might cry rape." "And what would you do about her stirring up trouble?" I asked. "Get out of here as fast as possible," Tamazusa told me bluntly. "A woman can cause more trouble than you could believe. If you don't believe me, talk to Logan about such things. Their sagas are full of tales of the trouble a vengeful woman can cause. Aboshi spent some time translating them once and amused me reading them during the rainy season." "Not Logan's area of expertise," I said. "He's a Mayan archeologist, not Viking. We were supposed to end up there, wherever that is." "Then what are you doing here?" she demanded. "This is nowhere near where you want to be."
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"Fuck," I blustered. "I have no clue how the damn roller coaster works. I get on and I get off. And I curse whoever thought of the ride, because this ain't worth the price." **** Dinner was chicken and some sort of greens. Both Keno and McGann didn't touch the chicken. Tamazusa sat next to me and made sure I was served before her and my stein didn't get empty of beer. Keno was sitting on the other side of me, acting like he was her chaperone or something. "Mason," Keno practically hissed at the beginning of the meal. I knew what he was telling me: treat her right or he was going to kick my ass. And you know what? I thought that he would be able to do it. I still remembered seeing the practice fight he had the first morning we were at Tamazusa's estate. The big guy hadn't let him win; Keno had kicked his ass fair and square. And I knew he'd be willing to do the same thing to me to protect Tamazusa. But no one else here would think that he would or could, and there'd be trouble the first time someone pulled shit on him or Tamazusa. Tamazusa said something quietly to him in Nipponese, and he calmed down. I was betting she pulled rank on him. Most everyone else was watching either us or Wolf. I knew these people were bored and isolated, but it didn't make me like being the center of attention any better. I split my veggies between Tamazusa and Keno. I'd have liked to give some to McGann, but that would have started that Helga rumor mill again, and I didn't want to deal with that. Keno gave his 145
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chicken to Tamazusa, and she shared it with me, giving me the bigger portion and the better pieces, serving it elegantly like we were dining at the Ritz. It was all nice and cozy, and shit, it was beginning to feel like a weird date. Not that I dated; I was a pay-as-you-go type of guy. It made things a lot less complicated. Things were going pretty good until it was time for bed. Helga had spent most of the meal and the sitting around and drinking afterward glaring daggers at McGann and Tamazusa. Like as in "if looks could kill" glares. McGann ignored her. Tamazusa, shit, she thought it was funny. She sneered down her nose at Helga while treating me like I was the best date she'd ever had. And you know, it was the best "date" I'd ever had, if you wanted to call it one. Tamazusa was attentive and flattering, flirty almost. I wondered briefly where she had learned to act like that and then decided I didn't want to know. I had a good guess and didn't like it, but now her relationship with her boy toy made a lot more sense to me. My stuff had been moved into the "married" section of the hut, right next to where Wolf and McGann were. There weren't too many of us there, about a handful, which made Helga being alone odd. If they were that short of women, she must have been a wicked bitch not to have a man of her own. Or too picky for her own good, but I was going with her being a bitch. Wolf and McGann settled into their little corner, and I could tell that McGann was exhausted. A couple more days like this and she'd just drop. We had to get out of here before that happened. "You mind sleeping on the inside?" I asked Tamazusa. 146
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She was looking... not nervous, but uneasy. Then I realized how long it must have been since she had shared a bed with anyone, not that there was really one here. The setup was some sort of straw mattress supported by a crudely made platform of rope pretending it was a box spring. It wasn't doing a good job. I wanted to tell her to relax, that it was going to be all right. But I didn't think she'd appreciate it. Hell, I knew I wouldn't. "Do you think—" she started with a snarl and then stopped, visibly trying to calm down again. "Yes, the inside would be most acceptable." "Logan'll look after Keno," I told her. "Why do you think that he needs that?" she snapped. "Or that I would worry?" "'Cause he's really like your kid brother or, shit, your brother-in-law," I said. "You and the boy toy are family." "I really don't understand why you keep referring to Aboshi-sama as my 'toy'," Tamazusa said with a slight smile, starting to calm down again. Shit, this was harder for her than me, so Tamazusa giving me shit was something I could live with. She wasn't showing me the Jell-O trick, so I was happy. And you know, I was getting to like her. She seemed a lot more fun when she wasn't on her estate being the bitch queen. "He's pretty, and you're the one running things," I said, giving her something to focus on besides the fact we were crawling into bed together. "Was he pretty the last time you saw him?" she asked me, stripping out of her pants and shirt. I was grateful she was 147
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wearing something that looked like a slip underneath. I had forgotten that casual nudity was something that was okay with her and her people, because they bathed together, even if it wasn't coed. I slipped out of my shoes and shirt but kept the pants on. It wasn't comfortable, but it was safer than stripping down to my underwear. I thought about that. The last time I saw Samojirou was when he, Tamazusa, and Fuse's sons had invaded Boylston Street from the Dreamlands to rescue Fuse and Keno. He'd looked like something out of my worst nightmare, dead white skin, claws, and a horn in the middle of his forehead. Not pretty. That he'd been carrying a damn big sword and hacking his way through all the eggheads hadn't helped either, he'd been pissed that we—well, the Trust—had kidnapped Keno. I was glad I hadn't been around when Samojirou had found out that Keno had been tortured. "Not really, not that it mattered to Keno," I said. "Shit, they...." "I understand," she said with sad smile. "Seeing them together is wonderful. Aboshi must be frantic. He probably thinks that we're dead." "And why would he think that you're dead?" I asked. I didn't get an answer, not that I expected one, because she seemed to be asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. I shrugged and crawled in beside her. Pretending to be asleep would get her out of a lot more than avoiding my questions, if I was going to be an asshole. **** 148
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I woke up the next morning kind of curled around Tamazusa like she was my teddy bear, and one part of me was a bit more awake than the rest of me. I was really glad I had decided to sleep in pants. I knew Tamazusa was awake from the way she wasn't moving. Shit, she was barely breathing, and I hoped she didn't think I was going to roll her over and fuck her. One: it would be rape. Two: I really didn't get into public sex. There wasn't even a curtain between us and the rest of the place. Not that it mattered to these people, because I was hearing more than one couple going at it. Loudly too. "I told you it was stupid," I said. "Sleepin' alone, it never does this. Asshole." She relaxed when I said that and turned around so she was sort of facing me, but she had scooted away so we weren't really touching. It was cozy still, and I wondered how badly Samojirou was going to kick my ass for this, if Keno didn't beat him to it. "Are you implying that you don't find me attractive?" she asked with a smile. "I keep callin' you a sexy mama. What do you think?" I asked back. "But I know you're really not interested, so this isn't nice. Also, shit, not being rude or anything, but when's the last time you slept with someone?" "Do you really want to know that answer?" she asked dryly, back in control, it seemed to me. But she had to be very aware that to get away from me, she'd have to go over me. 149
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"I can guess," I told her. "I don't really like the answer, but I like that you're not giving me shit about this." I waved down at the bulge in my pants. "I understand your reasoning, even if I don't have to like it," she said. "Yeah, and I better get out of bed before Keno comes over here and gets pissy about it," I said. "You have such a hard life," Tamazusa teased. I grinned at her and resisted giving her a kiss, since I liked my insides the way they were. I got out of bed and dug through my pack, handing her a clean shirt before I grabbed one for myself. I slipped it on and then went to find Keno. He was bunking near Logan, and I knew the other man wanted to ask Keno exactly what was happening but was showing some sense by not doing it in such a public area. There might be hope for Logan yet. "Want to go for a walk?" I asked Keno. "It would be a good idea," he said carefully. The rest of the Vikings ignored us, but Logan looked like he wanted to join us. It wasn't like we had chores or anything to do, unlike the women. We had to get out of Viking-land fast, because I didn't think McGann was up to this. That "woman's work was never done" saying didn't fucking cover it. She and Tamazusa and the rest of them never stopped moving. When we walked out of the hut, I wasn't surprised that Logan tagged after me. The man wasn't stupid, and I thought he had put enough of the story together, so I let him. **** 150
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Keno Dinner the night before had been difficult. I had been shocked that Tamazusa had been acting like Mason was her patron, serving him more elegantly than I could ever have dreamed of. I wondered if Mason knew how honored he should have been. I doubted that, though. Not that Mason was dumb, it was just that he didn't understand things like that. I was amazed that Tamazusa had been able to snub Helga and the rest of them, as she was pretending to be Mason's humble companion. Even if no else could see it, I saw the scorn she had for the Norse women. She had shown them how one was supposed to treat a patron. I was amazed and humbled by the experience. It was hard for me to be mad at Mason, even now. I waited until we had gotten out of hearing range of everyone but Logan to ask with tightly controlled anger in my voice, "And how did you sleep last night?" "She hogs the covers," Mason said. I glared at him. "She... shit, what do you want me to say?" That stopped me. I really didn't know what I wanted him to say. "I apologize," I said stiffly, trying to stop being angry. I guessed it was more that we were trapped in this situation that made me angry than the fact he was sleeping with my lord. "You're worried about her," Mason said. "Cuttin' you slack because of that."
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I frowned, and he grinned at me again, determined not to take this seriously. "Shit, she's a lady, and I ain't forgetting that." We were silent after that, but eventually came upon a group of Norsemen looking at some of the debris from the ship. I didn't care about that; it was Iida's ship, but something caught my eye, and I got closer. I was surprised to see a couple of the Norse examining a pair of swords: a katana and a wakizashi. I knew neither man knew how to use them, looking at how they were handling them. I also wanted some sort of weapon to protect Tamazusa. "Those are mine," I said politely, lying through my teeth. One of them was named Egil, and he was crazy, from what I could tell, and warped-looking too. The other man was really big as opposed to just big and was called Tholf, a little more even-tempered than the rest of them but still nasty when he had a drink or two in him, as I had found out last night. Both of them seemed to think I was a child, since I hadn't even attempted to drink with them or join in any of their "amusements." It didn't help that I was shorter than everyone else here, the same height as Tamazusa. Egil looked down at me and grinned. "I doubt it, boy." "You wouldn't be able to do anything with them," Tholf rumbled, laughing at me. "Do you want to find out?" I asked quietly. Egil looked at me and then held the katana above his head, just out of my reach. I hate being short at times. "Don't be an asshole," Mason told him. "Keno wouldn't lie about shit." 152
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"And what do I care about what a pair of skraelingjar ask for?" Egil sneered. Mason's mouth tightened, and I thought he was going to punch Egil for that. "Mason-san, I can take care of myself," I stated. Logan just was hanging back, but the other two were watching him. I wondered if it was because they thought that he was in charge, because he was white. I knew that sounded stupid, but they were the ones calling me and Mason names. I had talked to Logan a little last night. Not too much, since I didn't know who would be listening. He'd asked questions about my "sister" and me. I told him as little as possible, because I didn't trust him. Really, I wasn't naive enough to think he was a good guy because he was with Wolf and Mason. I remembered how nasty some of the scientists had been back in the real world. He seemed like a nice guy, but I couldn't take that chance, not now. "I take it that you're not going to give me back my property?" I asked politely. Both of them just laughed. It wasn't a nice laughter, and so I didn't feel bad about what I was going to do. I kicked Tholf behind his knee, hard, making him stumble to the ground. That put us at the same level, almost. I struck Tholf on the shoulder of the arm holding the wakizashi and then hit him in that same wrist so that he dropped the weapon. I caught the wakizashi as it fell and kicked him in the head after that, wanting him to stay down for a while. I didn't care about being nice about it. 153
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I whirled and blocked Egil's strike with the wakizashi, dancing back after, feeling the shock of his blow up my arm. I knew I wouldn't win in a contest of strength against anyone here but Logan, maybe. Egil held the katana like it was one of their two-handed swords, and I almost laughed at how awkward it looked. But the man was trying to kill me, so it really wasn't funny. I did a leg sweep, trying to dislocate his kneecap. It almost worked. He went down on one knee, a snarl on his face. He thrust the katana forward, as if it had a sharpened tip. I batted it aside, whirling again and kicking him on the side of the head. It was showy, and if it had been someone who had been better trained, I wouldn't have done something like that. It stunned him, and he dropped the katana. I followed up that kick with a couple of more, and soon he was unconscious on the sand. I scooped up the katana, sheathed it and then the wakizashi, and thrust both of them between my belt and the pants I was almost wearing. It looked ridiculous, but I didn't care. The whole thing had taken about a minute. "Are there any other objections?" I asked in a frigid tone. "The swords are yours," Tholf rumbled, looking angry and impressed at the same time. Either he was tougher than I thought he was or I was weaker; I was betting on weaker. There was something about being a spirit here that made someone stronger. "Take them, skraeling." "I thank you for seeing reason," I said softly before turning and stalking down the beach, knowing that Mason and Logan would follow me. I was shaking and didn't want them to see 154
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it. We got out of earshot of the others before Mason said something. "You're doin' good, kid," he told me proudly, tousling my hair. Logan was just frowning thoughtfully. "That might be—" "Fuck 'em," Mason said. "Keno can kick ass. So what?' "He just embarrassed two high-ranking Norsemen in front of others. I think that it might cause trouble," Logan said. "We should tell Wolf about this." I sat down. "I don't think that I'm recovered as I should be," I said faintly. "Can we just sit here for a while before telling Wolf about this?" He was talking to Njalsson about something, which was why he wasn't with us. I was certain Mason and Logan were scouting out the island for some reason. I sat down before I collapsed, which would get me in all sorts of trouble with everyone. "I didn't think that Samojirou would give something like that as a gift," Mason said after he sat down. "And just what do you think that he'd give me?" I asked, not wanting to tell him I had lied. I wasn't going to tell them I had been disguised as Tamazusa's maid for this trip. That really wasn't their business. Mason would tease me about it, although I didn't mind being teased. I was looking forward to Seki and the rest of his squad doing so when we were returned home. I was very glad they hadn't been on the ship with us, because I feared they would have drowned like those poor sailors. 155
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But here and now was not the place or time for teasing me like that. "Hell, the way that you dressed, I don't know what, but not swords," Mason said with a grin. "Way he was dressed?" Logan asked curiously. "His boyfriend got a kink about dressing him as a chick," Mason said. I wondered if I could just smack him. That was no one's business but Samojirou's and mine. That it was a good disguise for me for a number of reasons wasn't something I was going to tell them. Logan looked at me strangely for a second before saying quietly, "Don't mention that to anyone here. Seriously, these people have less tolerance for such things than the military does." Mason rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. "You still see Fuse-hime?" he asked me after a quiet minute. "I see all my family," I said. "Family?" Logan asked. "Long story," Mason said. "But tell her that I said 'hi' for me next time that you see her." "I will," I promised. Logan looked to be thinking hard on something, but he didn't ask any more questions. We sat there quietly until I stopped shaking. Mason frowned at me. "You know that I'm gonna have to tell Tamazusa about this too. You look like crap. And I don't want her mad at me because you hid this from her." "I know," I said. 156
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I was tired, drained really, but I didn't know why. I should have been recovered from almost drowning by now. I needed to rest, which I knew wasn't going to happen. We had to get back to Nippon, fast, and I was going to push that fact with Wolf and the others. I didn't know what their mission was, but I didn't care; mine was to get Tamazusa back to her kuni as quickly as I could and get back to my lover before he did something we would both regret. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Seven Samojirou I woke up several times, but each time I was given some sort of overly sweet tea to drink, and I drifted off into unconsciousness again. I didn't care to be awake, which was the main reason I let them drug me. When I woke up this time, I heard the rustle of silk and a gentle hand on my forehead. "You seem to be better," a soft voice told me. It was Fuse. I didn't know if I was better, but I knew she was here for a reason. I tried to gather my wits about me, and all I could think was that Keno was gone. I knew I should mourn Tamazusa also, since we had been together for centuries. While it was I who had caused her to be here in the Dreamlands, she had forgiven me. I eventually forgave myself when I saw how happy she was here with the power she had wielded. But all that was echoing in my heart and my head was that Keno was gone. I slowly opened my eyes. Fuse was looking down at me with a worried expression on her face. I noticed that Yukiko, Keno's personal maid, was with her. She had dressed as Sakura when Tamazusa and Keno had left, an excellent idea I was surprised Keno had thought of. It was a move in the Game I hadn't expected out of him. I thought Yukiko had been amused that they had switched roles like that. "Yukiko-san, could you get us something to eat?" Fuse asked with a smile. 158
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She bowed and left the room, after looking at me with a frown on her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and this was about the only time I hadn't seen her with a smile on her face. As a flower spirit, it was her nature to be cheerful all the time. "He's gone," I said numbly. My throat felt odd for some reason, tight, and I was unable to swallow. "Samojirou-sama... Aboshi, please," Fuse started, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she handed me a cup of tea after I sat up. "He wouldn't have wanted this." "Does it matter?" I asked dully. I sipped at my tea, feeling my throat ease. I sensed that there was something in it, but it wasn't what they had been drugging me with before. "There is trouble," she said softly. "I fear that treachery was involved with what happened to Keno and your lady." "He liked having a family again," I said, not really listening to what she had to say. I was wondering where the nearest katana was and who I could ask to be my second. I didn't want to live having lost Keno again. "Pay attention," Fuse chided gently. "This is important." "It isn't," I told her. "Don't be hasty," she said. "I don't think that things are as bad—" "Tamazusa no longer holds this kuni," I shouted. "She is gone. Keno... Keno would protect her with his last breath." My voice broke on the last word. I took a deep breath and fought not to start howling my denial of what had happened to the heavens for a second time. 159
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"That does not mean that either one of them are dead," Fuse snapped. I stared at her dumbly. She looked tired and out of sorts, and I wondered how long I had been unconscious. "I am not a lord," she continued in a calmer tone of voice, "but my husband is, and most of my sons are. I know of the power, the bargains one has with the land, the kuni's power and the responsibility it demands." "He is gone," I snarled. "I should have—" "Who was she meeting with?" Fuse asked, interrupting me. I shrugged, since it didn't matter now, since the dead have no secrets to keep. "Iida Hideaki of Tsushima. He was interested in striking some sort of bargain with her." Tsushima was a small island on the tip of Nippon, so far south and west that it was almost not in Nippon, on the borders of the southern barbarians known as the Egyptians. I found it to be a cheerless place the one or two times I had visited it. There wasn't much there, and I wondered how Iida stood to spend any time there. "The rumors are that he was looking for a consort," Fuse said thoughtfully. "But I doubt that Tamazusa would have bargained with him about that. Unless she managed to ally with him or offer him support without her body being part of the bargain. So they would have had very little to talk about." "How do you know about that?" I asked, feeling a faint stir of curiosity. She smiled. "I have sons, and there are many who will talk to them. And my sons talk to me. But I think there is a 160
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reason Iida approached her that was not in the rumors. I think that is why what happened has happened." "And Iida-sama had approached me," Inuyama Dousetsu said from the doorway. "He was hoping that I would ally with him, because of what had happened in the real world. I declined, telling him I would deal with you in my own manner." I actually was glad to see him. He would be very happy to be my second and take my head as I committed seppuku. I had done him a grave injustice when he had been alive, and I knew he would be happy to end my existence. I slowly pushed myself up and off the bed to stand. "Would you do me the honor of being my second?" I asked Inuyama. He looked startled for a second and then threw a frantic glance at his mother, begging wordlessly for her to deal with this. Inuyama was a serious man, called dour by many, but he didn't know how to deal with me right now. I knew he wasn't comfortable with my relationship with Keno and that he didn't understand how I could love Keno so much. "Aboshi!" Fuse exclaimed, clearly annoyed. It was odd that she was calling me by my first name, especially with no honorific attached, but I believed that she was out of patience with me. "I think that you might want to wait," Inuyama said after Fuse glared at him. "About Iida. Do you know why no one ever manages to take that small island he has?" Inuyama asked. "Because no one wants it," I told him snidely. 161
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"While it lacks the amenities you might want, it is a strategic foothold that could lead to an invasion of Nippon," Inuyama explained patiently. I didn't like seeing the pity in his face. "None of those foolish enough to think they could take the island have ever done so. I think that it is because its lord has made bargains not just with the land, but with the sea." I didn't care about what the man had done, except for the fact that he had killed my lover and the woman I thought of as a sister. "I will kill him," I growled, sounding more like an animal than anything. "You can't leave here," Fuse said. "The land is not calm. You need to—" "You think that I would hold this place?" I demanded. "Samojirou-sama," Fuse started softly, trying to get me to see reason. "I know that you wish to join my son in death. I am just asking you to wait. I feel that he isn't gone. Something happened out there, but we don't know what." "I don't believe you." "He'll join you if you kill yourself and he gets back here," Inuyama said roughly. "Do you want that? Keno... I don't understand your relationship, how he is happy being your lover. How he is different because of his time in the real word and being reborn. But he will not live without you. Do you want to be the cause of his death because you couldn't wait? Do you love him so little?" "He's gone," I repeated numbly. "Wait," Inuyama said, echoing his mother. "Trust her." 162
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"Tamazusa would not yield her control of the land, no matter who was threatened," I said flatly. "She is gone. Her Reavers have left. Her ties to the land have been severed." "That doesn't mean that she and Keno are dead," Fuse repeated. "Think! Such things have happened before." I looked at both of them with dull eyes. The silence stretched out, and I finally noticed another one of Keno's brothers, Inukai Genpachi, was here. He didn't hold a kuni, and so I saw what Fuse's plan was: replace Tamazusa with one of her sons if I refused to take the kuni. I didn't blame her. Her family was a power in the North, and they wanted someone they could trust at their backs. "It has happened more than you think," Inukai said quietly. "It is just that most think the holder is dead when they lose power." "They're both gone," I said. "We'll dose you with that tea again, if you don't shut up," Inuyama threatened. Fuse just looked at the three of us and shook her head. "I think that it would be better if you left us, Mother," Inukai said. "Please do," Inuyama added. "And neither one us, nor will any of the other samurai here, act as his second at this time. You need to rest." She nodded after hesitating a second and left the room. I just stood there. Inuyama and Inukai looked at each other, and then Inukai said softly, "Why don't you sit down?"
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"I'll find a way," I stated, even as I sat down. It was just easier to follow orders right now. Once they stopped worrying about me, I'd find a way to kill myself. "We will help you join Keno, if he is gone," Inukai promised. "We are just counseling you to wait." "How long?" I asked after a few heartbeats. "About a week," Inuyama said. He knew I was asking how long I had been unconscious, not how long before I could kill myself. "Okita-san sent for Mother as soon as he could. She cared for you, keeping you unconscious until you were able to make some sort of sense. This is the first time you have done more than scream." I nodded. I didn't care. "But...." "Mother came alone," Inukai said. "Then she sent for us." "How many of you are here?" "Just myself and Dousetsu," Inukai told me. "Our other brothers are busy and will join us later." "Why?" I asked. "Think!" Inuyama snapped. "Neither one of us has claimed a kuni. If needed, we can keep the people here protected by claiming it. What Iida has done, however, has brought war back to us." "I don't believe you," I said dully. "Do you think that any of us would not avenge the death of our brother Keno?" Inukai asked me gravely. He sounded very unlike the man he was, a man of the pleasure quarters. "Shino and the others are gathering their forces to attack Iida-sama. This will tear Nippon apart to avenge our brother, and it will be as it was when we were alive. 164
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"And I don't doubt that Iida knew this. While it is not widely known who Sakura actually is, there was what happened in the spring, when Mother was being so friendly to Tamazusa-sama. Iida-sama might have believed he had to move soon if the rumors were true, that Tamazusa-sama was willing to take one of us as a consort. If he wanted to ruin Nippon, this was one way to do it. However, he might have tipped his hand too soon, which will be the only thing that will save Nippon." "So all of you are going to be here?" I asked. "This place isn't defendable," Inuyama told me. "We're taking you to your capital." "Keno was happy here." "We know that," Inuyama grated. "And he is not coming back here to bury you." "He's gone." Inukai didn't say anything else, and I knew Inuyama wanted to shake me. I didn't believe them. Keno was gone, and the land was looking for another lord. It could be one of them or Iida, I didn't care. I just wanted to be with Keno again. "Iida's idiocy will weaken us, and so then others will want to see how weak Nippon is," Inuyama said sharply. "The Southerners for one." "Or whatever Iida has allied himself with," Inukai added. "I don't doubt that he has allies like Tamazusa-sama's Reavers." "I've never seen them," I said. "The Reavers followed my lady around like loyal dogs. Iida was usually alone." 165
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"If they can't breathe air, then you wouldn't see them. I don't doubt that Iida has also made bargains with unclean things," Inukai said. "There are rumors that his villages house things that are evil, that his peasants have a habit of disappearing. That certain nights of the year, maidens and young boys are staked out on the beach, never to be seen again." "Keno," I whispered brokenly, remembering my first glimpse of him, broken from the abuse he had been subjected to. I threw back my head and started screaming, not wanting to think about him, about anything anymore. I barely felt the blow Inuyama gave me, welcoming the darkness it brought. **** Keno "Egil claims that you used witchcraft against him," Wolf said. It was just after dinner. Egil had spent most of it glaring at me, while Tholf just looked thoughtful. I wore my swords still, because I didn't want them to disappear. I didn't trust anyone here. "He made a complaint to Njalsson about you. Since you seem to be part of my group now, Njalsson talked to me about it. The only thing that seems to be saving you from a charge of witchcraft is that Tholf said you fought without magic, just in a strange style. I tried to explain to him that is your way of fighting, but I still think there will be trouble." "I don't know what you are talking about," I lied. I wasn't going to tell anyone here I had the ability to cast spells, that I 166
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just needed some training to do so. I wasn't in any hurry to get it. I enjoyed exploring other things in my life—like Samojirou—too much right now. "I don't know how to cast spells. I also agree with Egil that blood magic is a bad thing." Mason looked indecently relieved to hear that, while McGann acted guilty. Wolf was clearly upset about the whole thing. He hadn't been happy to hear I had beaten up two men to get a pair of swords, whether I was going use them or not. I knew he wanted to protect me still. But I didn't need it, and I didn't know if that was making him more upset. I wanted these people to know I wasn't someone who could be pushed around. Mason shouldn't be the one protecting my lord. That was my duty. It was annoying that these people looked at me and saw a child and not a warrior. "Is it my fault that these unwashed barbarians have no training in unarmed fighting?" I demanded, getting angry. I had simply been trying to arm myself to protect Tamazusa. It wasn't like I could use any of their swords, because quite frankly, I didn't have the strength to wield one, even if I knew their style of fighting. "It wasn't sorcery that caused my victory over Egil, simply that I train every morning with my lord's samurai. Egil's a clumsy fool compared to Okita-san or Seki-san. And they have no problem with me the rare times that I am able to win a training bout with them or anyone else." "They're not going to like that," Logan said. "They're going to think that you tricked him." "And we should care why?" Mason asked, sounding bored about the whole thing. 167
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Logan shook his head. "We're outnumbered." "Fuck it. Let's take a boat and get the fuck out of Dodge, then," Mason said. "Screw these crazies." I didn't think anyone was more surprised than he was when McGann and Tamazusa just looked at each other and nodded. "That sounds like a delightful idea," Tamazusa almost cooed. "Wolf?" McGann asked. She put a lot into that word. Was it a good idea? Was he willing to go along with this? Can we do it? "My grandmother is a university professor," Wolf said. "She knew a professor in the history department who built Viking knorr and other ships." "And?" Mason asked. "I spent a couple summers working with him. I can pilot and crew a boat. You don't need a lot of people, but knowing where to go might be a problem." "Keno and I know the stars here," Tamazusa said. "We can guide you to Nippon. The ocean is rough there, though, and we'll need a sturdy ship to get through the barrier." "Is that what happened to your ship?" Wolf demanded. Tamazusa shifted and looked uneasy for a moment. "That was something else. I underestimated the allies Iida-sama had. The ship was destroyed in another manner. I doubt they will be at the barrier when we return, since they've done their duty. They should have returned to the Southern seas." "We're stealing a ship, then," McGann announced after thinking about it for a minute. "But where will we be going after that?" Logan asked. 168
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"There are places we can go. Lands that are closer than my own where we can ask for sanctuary," Tamazusa said. Tamazusa wasn't lying to anyone here. It would be easier to go down the eastern shore of Nippon, than the western one. And while most of my family held the upper eastern part of Nippon, they also held portions of the western side too. They were all closer and easier to get to than Tamazusa's kuni. "Shino-sama would be the best person to go to," I said after thinking about it. "If we miss him, then we can sail down further to Yatsufusa-sama's kuni." "He has a kuni?" Mason asked. Actually, he seemed to be the only one who would be rude enough to say something like that, but the others seemed shocked to hear it too. "He holds the peninsula Awa is on, here in the Dreamlands," Tamazusa said with a cool smile. "But I know that there are rumors that Fuse-hime is the real power there, since she has her husband wrapped around her littlest finger, it seems." "Most marriages seem like that," McGann said with a faint smile. I let out a breath I didn't even know I had been holding. I knew some people might have an issue with Yatsufusa and Fuse's relationship. In many places in the real world, it would be considered unnatural, since he was a dog and she was human. If it weren't for the magic involved, it would have been. But Yatsufusa wasn't a dumb animal, no matter what he looked like. I thought that there would be some issues with him giving orders and writing out things, but after all 169
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their time here, I bet that something had been worked out to cover this. Also, it wasn't like this place was normal, not with tengu and oni living here. I just wondered why everyone was willing to keep Logan in the dark about who and what Yatsufusa was exactly, what a kuni was, or how important my family was. I guessed they didn't trust him. "Yeah, well, so long as your family isn't too pissed at us," Mason said, "we should be all right." **** Mason While stealing a boat was a good idea, all the farm had was fishing boats. They were smaller than shit, and I didn't trust that they'd survive something like the storm that washed Keno and Tamazusa up, never mind the barrier thing they were talking about. We could take them someplace else, but then we'd have to steal another ship, because I didn't think we had enough money to buy one. Plus I felt guilty about taking stuff from these people. They weren't exactly dirt poor, but I knew that even a shitty boat was a big thing for these people. I called this place a farm, but I didn't see anything like fields and shit like that. Logan told me they survived on sheep herding, fishing, and some gardening. That made more sense, even if I wondered how the lot of them hadn't died of malnutrition or something. It wasn't like we were eating what was called a balanced diet here, and Keno was even more screwed than we were, because he didn't eat meat, which was a large portion of the meals here. Not that it 170
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was steak or something good, more like mutton and stringy chickens. After a day of hanging around and Keno getting dirty looks from Egil, Tamazusa and I were turning in when I heard a cry from outside. Someone was screaming "Ouous! Ouous!"— whatever that meant. I found out soon enough when Wolf came tearing back to us. He had been tucking McGann into bed. "It's a raid," he snapped, buckling on his armor and sword. "We can take one of those ships," Tamazusa said immediately. Wolf looked at her, shocked. He was ready to go out and defend these people. McGann popped out of nowhere with their packs. "It's a good idea," she said. "It'll be a rough ride," Wolf warned her. "I know," she said. She was looking like shit, so getting out for her was a good idea, before she was worked to death. Helga had managed to give her and Tamazusa every shitty job she could think of. I felt a little guilty about abandoning these people, but shit, sometimes that was part of the job. Logan looked at us. "But—" "This is the best chance that we have to leave here," Tamazusa told him. "Their ships are probably on the beach, lightly guarded. We just have to get to them and get them in the water. Hopefully they don't chase after us, but instead return to wherever they came from." "Wolf's in charge," McGann said. "Armor up and get to the beach." She handed Tamazusa one of the packs. "If you could?" 171
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Tamazusa slung it on her back. "Keno can defend us until the ship is ours." "He's a kickass fighter," I protested. I barely knew which end of a sword to hold. Logan was a bow guy, and I just knew McGann wasn't going to be able to do shit to someone. Tamazusa's trick with turning people's insides to Jell-O would keep her safe, unless there was more than one of them. I wasn't counting on that to keep us safe. "Keno has trained with my samurai, but he has never gone into battle," she said quietly. "He has not killed. And if Aboshi and I have our way, he never will." "You might not get that choice," I said roughly, fighting the unexpected urge to give her a hug. "Tonight looks nasty." I slipped into my own armor and wasn't surprised that Tamazusa grabbed my pack too. I wasn't going to leave that behind; it had all sorts of useful supplies in it besides clothing. Logan unpacked his bow and strung it. It was a fancy one with all sorts of pulleys. I'd seen him put an arrow through a couple of two by fours when we'd had our fighting practice. I could pull it but didn't have a chance of hitting anything smaller than the broad side of a barn. I wasn't ever going to be Robin Hood with that thing. Keno popped out of wherever he had been, looking like he had been sick a couple of times. "There seems to be a couple of boatloads of raiders out there," he said. "I think that I know why there aren't a lot of woman here." "We're talking one of the ships," Wolf said. 172
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Keno nodded, not arguing. He had wanted to get out of here worse than we did, for some reason. "It's a mess out there." I didn't know what he meant until I stepped out of the hut. There was a lot of screaming and a horde of really big guys in armor. No one was wearing a horned helmet, and I felt vaguely cheated. Wolf was smart and put the women in the middle. He was in front, and I was tail-end Charlie, while Keno and Logan were sort of guarding our sides. I was glad no one was paying any attention to us. That was normal, because in any type of fight, especially at night, you never really knew what was going on. You concentrated on keeping your ass safe and your team intact and killing the monster you were after. It didn't leave you a lot of time to see the big picture. Radios helped, but since there weren't any here, it seemed like it was every man for himself. There were a lot of people running about as they tried to either get the hell out of there or fight those guys. But while most of these guys were backwoods bikers, the newcomers were a bunch of mean fuckers, really professional fighters. People you really didn't want to piss off. They were killing anyone who tried to fight back and dragging off the women. I realized why Keno had been sick. McGann was looking like she wanted to lose it, too, but Tamazusa acted like she was out for a walk in the park. I admired the balls she had and was glad she seemed to be looking after McGann. She knew something was up with McGann, but she didn't know what. With any luck, she'd never figure it out. 173
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We managed to get halfway to the beach before our luck ran out. A couple of the raiders noticed our group and came after us. It wouldn't have mattered except they went after Logan. He managed to get a shot off at one of them, but the other got past his guard. These fuckers were fast! The surviving one grabbed McGann around her stomach, and she crumbled. He'd just touched her, and she was out like a light. He must have done something that overloaded her mojo. "Hey!" I screamed. That got Wolf's attention. didn't know if that was a good thing, because he got a funny look on his face and charged the asshole, shouting his head off. The bad guy looked at him and sort of tossed McGann aside. Logan managed to catch her, barely. He handed his bow to Keno and slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "She fainted," he said, sounding confused. Meanwhile, Wolf was swinging wildly at the other guy. He didn't seem to know what to do with a sword now, but he was doing his best to kill the other guy. The guy he was attacking was screaming his head off, something that sounded like berserkergang. We were starting to attract attention, and we had to get the fuck out of there. I was very aware of how attractive Tamazusa, McGann, and even Keno were, because this seemed to be a raid for women as much as other valuables. "Give her to me," I told Logan. "I can't do shit with a sword. You're useful with that bow." I sheathed my sword and took her from him. The other guy's shouting had brought in reinforcements. Not that it 174
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mattered to him, Wolf got in a good hit and took the guy's head off. He collapsed, his head flying off into the dark, and Wolf snarled at the body. I was getting worried about trying to get him back with us, when he went after the other guys. Wolf was nuts, but if he wasn't going after one of us, I wasn't too worried. He waded into the newcomers with a scream that curled the hair on the back of my neck. "We better get to the beach," Tamazusa said coolly. "I'll watch out for him," Keno said quietly. "He's berserk," I grunted, wondering how the hell that had happened. Nice, polite Wolf was gone. I hoped that he managed to get back. "You want to chance it?" "I know that he isn't going to hurt me," Keno said calmly. "You have to take care of my lord for now." Tamazusa didn't say anything. She grabbed the packs McGann had dropped and started off to the beach again. She was smart enough to know Wolf might be after her next. I plodded after her, wondering what the hell had happened. Logan covered our asses until we got to the beach. It was quieter down there, with just a handful of guys around. They weren't paying too much attention to us because they had something else to keep them occupied. It hadn't progressed to rape, but it was getting close. I couldn't tell who they had; I just saw blonde hair and a skirt. She was getting shoved back and forth like she was a doll. "We got to stop that," Logan hissed at me. "How many can you get?" I asked him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. If it kept them out of our hair, I wasn't going to do something like run in to rescue her. Yeah, I was a shit 175
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for thinking like that, but it wasn't the first gang rape I had run across. I'd hate myself afterward, but I'd be around to do so. In a firefight, it was take care of your team first and then worry about the civilians. Right now, this raid wasn't too different from a monster hunt for me. And that poor chick was a civilian. "Two or three," he said. "But they're going to be after us as soon as I start shooting." He was right about that, since there wasn't any place for us to hide. Plus I had an unconscious woman, and I couldn't fight worth a damn. "I can take care of McGann," Tamazusa said, shifting her from my shoulder. I realized then that she was stronger than I was and was really glad she hadn't gotten pissed at me. "Go rescue her." She was looking a little off, and I wondered briefly if something like that had happened to her. I realized why Keno had looked like shit earlier. This was happening in other places. "Get McGann out of here if this goes bad," I told her. "I trust you." Logan and I moved away from them, hoping the bad light would hide the women for a little while. I knew that in minute or so, those assholes would be paying more attention to us than them. Logan took a stance and waited. I refrained from asking him what the fuck he was waiting for and waited with him. It took a couple of minutes, but then I realized. One of the assholes threw down the girl and motioned for the others to hold her down, since she still had a lot fight left in her. As soon as she hit the ground, Logan shot that guy, right 176
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through the head, dropping him like a pro. He loaded and shot again, hitting another guy and killing him before they realized what had hit them. He got in his third shot as they came charging up the beach, looking for blood. I noticed that the girl managed to start crawling away before one of the fuckers was on me. He was good, and I spent most of the fight defending against him and hoping someone would come and save my ass. The fucker was toying with me, from the grin on his face. I didn't know what happened to Logan or the girls, since my entire world was trying to stop this asshole from killing me. There was some screaming behind me, and I was never gladder to see Wolf when he popped up behind this guy and sliced off his head. I wasn't so happy to see that he still looked a bit crazy. He looked at me like he was debating whether or not he wanted to take my head when Keno caught up with him. "We need to get on a ship," he told Wolf in a calm voice, like he was talking to him normally. Wolf looked down, frowning at him. He snarled and swung at something behind Keno, causing him to duck. Then another one of the assholes was there, shouting for reinforcements, and Wolf went after him. "Pick one," I told Keno. There were a couple of ships on the beach, and they looked alike to me. They were long and thin, not at all like the boats that were here. These were ships and looked as mean as the fuckers that came here in them. 177
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"You can tell why they are the scourge of Europe," Logan said. I turned to look at him, and he continued the lecture like we had all the time in the world. "The Irish monks had written volumes about their raids in the monastery records. You'd think that there wasn't anything left of Europe when the Norse raiders were done. A shallow keeled boat that can go almost anywhere with fast and ruthless men, and you have stories that scare children into behaving for generations." The fighting picked up after that. I heard Keno screaming, "Left! Left!" and I hoped that meant the left ship, because that was the one I aimed for. I saw Tamazusa helping a groggy McGann into that one after throwing all our packs in. "We have to get it into the water," she screamed. I ducked the guy trying to kill me and ended up flat on my ass, which did save mine. He went down with an arrow in his head and a stupid look on his face. Someone yanked me up, and I was surprised to see that it was Logan. "Thanks," I grunted. "No problem." He grinned at me. I was just glad he wasn't freaking out during his first fight, but even I could figure out he might have done this once or twice before. He aimed and shot at a couple of more guys and then tossed his bow into the ship. I winced, but he just shrugged. "Out of arrows." He pulled his own sword out, and we started to try and drive these fuckers back. It was working for a while, but I was starting to get tired. I looked around for Keno and Wolf. It figured that they were in the thick of the fighting, Keno 178
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protecting Wolf's back while he screamed and hacked at people. "Get him over here, kid!" I shouted. Wolf was the main attraction for these people, and the fighters all gathered around him. Logan and I started pushing the boat into the water, hoping that Keno could get Wolf over here. I was counting on McGann to snap him out of this, since she was semiconscious now. Everyone seemed to be paying attention to Wolf, so me and Logan got the boat into the water, and I lost track of what happened after that for a little while. I was surprised to see Tholf fighting back to back with Wolf. Keno was over by me, and that was when it happened. One of the fuckers realized we were stealing their boat and charged over to us. He shoved Keno aside, causing him to fall in the water, which was about waist deep for him right then. He went under with a splash. That distracted Logan, because he automatically leaned over to help him up. When that happened, the fucker took a shot at him and got past his defenses easily. Logan ended up taking a shot to the thigh that connected, hard, from the look on his face. I managed to get to the guy who did it, and Keno caught Logan as he collapsed. He hustled Logan over to the ship, and Tamazusa leaned over and lifted him up like he was a kid. "Wolf! Wolf!" I screamed. "We're leaving now!" "Wolf!" McGann called out too. That got his attention. He stabbed at his opponent and then waded over to the ship, Tholf on his heels. The two of them practically vaulted into the fucking thing, and I didn't 179
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have a chance to tell Tholf he wasn't wanted, even as I started scrambling up into the ship. **** Tamazusa Logan was badly injured. He was the only one of the group who was a healer, from the way that Mason was swearing. I only knew enough to know that the blow to his leg was a bad one because of all the blood. "The bastard hit an artery," Mason said, trying to stop the bleeding by shoving his fingers in the wound. "It doesn't hurt," Logan said, sounding confused. "I always thought that it was supposed to hurt." "You're in shock," Mason snapped. "I'm dying," Logan informed him. "Unless there's a trauma team and an emergency room hidden on this thing, I'm not going to make it. Hell, I know that there isn't any way to give me transfusions, and I've lost a lot of blood." "Don't talk like that!" Mason snarled. "Don't be an idiot, Mason," Logan retorted. "You aren't going to be able to stop it. Your fingers are slowing it down, but they aren't stopping it." "Is there anyone that we should tell?" I asked him gently. I was surprised that Logan laughed. Unfortunately it ended in a coughing fit for the man. He gasped for breath for a few moments before he said. "Wolf... he's a good man. Never thought that I'd find one of those in the Trust." "There are more of them there than you'd believe," Mason said. 180
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Logan shook his head, not having the energy to argue. Even in this light he looked pale and waxy, and I knew that he was dying. McGann swallowed hard and moved away from him. I didn't blame her, so I simply did what she should have been doing. I held Logan's hand while he slipped away. He smiled at me. "Mason said that you were a hardass." "You were defending me and Keno," I said softly. "And even a hardass can honor one who fought for them." "Even if it was all a lie?" he asked. "Did you try and kill any of us here?" I posed. Mason was too shocked to question what he meant. "You fought with us, and you were always a gentlemen to me. You will be honored at the shrine in my shoen." "My name is really John Cowan," he practically whispered. I leaned closer to hear him better. "And I was sent to keep an eye on Wolf." "And why is that?" I asked, coaxing him to talk. "Because of a number of reasons," he said. "I talked extensively with Collins before he died," I said. "I know of the nature of my enemy, even if Wolf does not. And he will be protected, if not by myself, then others." "Mason was right. You are tough," Logan said. I couldn't think of him as that other name, even if it was his true one. I would put both on his shrine. "Watch your back," Logan said, "if you get back, Mason. Because you aren't supposed to make it back." "How interesting," I said. "And why not?" Logan coughed. "I don't know. Shit, I wasn't supposed to take you out, if that's what you're hinting at. Logan Sawyer 181
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was a cover for me, but the guy really exists. He's down in Costa Rica right now and knows nothing about the Trust. We just needed an expert who would check out if you looked him up, and he was it, since no one sees him for months at a time. We didn't end up in the right place on purpose. We were never supposed to hit the Mayans. The plan was to aim for someplace else." "And where was that?" I asked. Mason looked to be in shock about the betrayal, not thinking beyond that. It was up to me to find out what this plot was. "Egypt," Logan gasped, his voice growing even weaker. "Never to the North. Too primitive." "And the Egyptians are not?" I asked disdainfully. "They were going to give us what the Trustees wanted," Logan said. "The Egyptians were going to help them invade Nippon, split the place with them for a little while, and then backstab them. Still want me at your shrine?" "You have warned me of a great evil," I said. "With this warning, my people can defend against this." "There was another group that was going to be going after us. I don't know if that group got off. They were going to supply real weapons to the Egyptians, as well as supplies, and help to get them organized. If that went through, then you're in deep trouble." "Was there an alliance with one called Iida?" I asked. Logan shook his head, his breath coming in odd gasps. He was done, or almost. I knew the signs, even if I hadn't seen them in centuries. Mason kept his fingers tight in the wound, even if he was swearing under his breath. 182
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"You could have told them before this," I said. "He's fucking telling us now," Mason snarled. "And that counts for something in my book. Shit, he could have...." Mason couldn't finish that sentence, and I didn't blame him. It was happening in front of him, and I knew none of us here, except for Keno, were strangers to this type of event. It was still difficult to accept. I brushed the fingers of my other hand across Logan's brow. "You will go straight to the Western Paradise because of this confession," I murmured. "Amida Buddha will welcome you." "There's a group of the Trustees who want you," Logan told me, sounding breathless. He was using up his strength to give us this information. "They think that you're compromised. But they also don't want to anger Wolf's grandfather. He has a lot of pull and a lot of allies. But Collins's group is out for your blood. And they are willing to do anything to get it. Collins had a lot more friends than you know of. Friends outside the Trust who are willing to pull in favors from all over: the EU, our government, people who you don't want to know about." "What are you talking about?" Mason demanded. He was angry and confused. I didn't blame him for that, since betrayal was always painful, no matter how one learned about it. Logan gave one more gasp, and then his head rolled back. "You can take you hands off of him now," I told Mason gently. 183
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He just continued to stare at Logan until I started to pull a spare piece of canvas over the body. I then carefully helped Mason up and over to a bucket where he could wash his hands. "You weren't lying to him, were you?" Mason asked. "I will burn incense for his spirit," I promised. "He has redeemed himself from whatever plot the Trustees had him involved in." Wolf, thankfully, was taking care of sailing the ship, and Keno was with him. I knew that Logan would be sent into the sea as soon as possible, since there was no place to keep him here. I glanced over at Keno and wasn't surprised to see he was taking care of McGann, who also seemed to be in some sort of shock. "You don't seem too surprised," Mason muttered. I shrugged. "I simply didn't believe Mrs. Adams's offer. And no, it isn't nice to know that I was wrong. But Collins was someone who one didn't want to make an enemy of. He also was a wealth of information when Samojirou, Yatsufusa, and I questioned him. He was most wroth that a dog was interrogating him. It was almost amusing to see." "What did he tell you?" I smiled and shook my head. Mason looked angry for a minute and then realized this wasn't the time to talk about such things. "Later," he told me in the same quiet tone of voice, but I heard the fury in it. Even if he had been expecting it, the information about Collins shook him almost as much as Logan's death. "And I have no fucking clue how I'm going to tell Wolf about this." 184
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"Then don't," I suggested. "Not now. Not when he can't do anything with this information. And not when we seem to have companions here that we cannot or should not trust. You can talk with him about this when we get to land." **** Keno Getting the ship sailing wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Wolf and Tholf did something with the sails and the rudder that got us out to sea. I hoped we just had to worry about the other ship chasing us. Disabling it wasn't an option, because those raiders would just take their anger out on the people there if we did that, if we'd even had time to do so. I just hoped that someone survived what had happened. I felt guilty that we didn't stay and fight, but my first duty was to get Tamazusa to safety. That meant I had to not help those people, even if it felt wrong to me, no matter how rude they had been to the two of us. It was a long, narrow ship filled with hard wooden benches. It didn't look anything like the ships of Nippon, even our warships. It smelled badly, and I hoped we had supplies of some sort aboard, water at least. There were oars, and I wondered if we would have to row. "Where are we off to?" Tholf shouted in English. He was by what I thought was the steering thing, and I wondered why, until I realized Wolf had his hands full trying to get the sail up. As soon as we had gotten into deep water, Wolf had let Tholf take charge. That surprised me, but I didn't think he had a choice with a man down. 185
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I went over to Tholf and wasn't surprised to see that he grinned down at me. The only thing allowing me to see was that it was a clear night with a full moon. I knew that Tamazusa and Samojirou had no trouble seeing at night, so Tholf was probably the same way. "Head to the barrier," I said. "We are going to Nippon." He looked at me and then at McGann, who had wandered over here too. I guessed that she didn't deal with blood too well. And there must have been a lot of it from the way Mason was swearing. "We are?" he asked. I bit back a snarl. He was annoying me, because he wouldn't listen to me. But I could see his point. Wolf was the one in charge, and he'd listen to his wife before one of the strangers Wolf had picked up. But McGann was still looking "off," and I didn't think she had recovered from whatever had made her pass out earlier. "You better sit down," I said. "You don't look very good." "I'll be fine," she answered. She looked at Tholf. "We are going to Nippon to return our friends to their family." Tholf nodded. "The current will be easier to fight closer to Iceland. Right now we'd have to row, and we don't have the manpower to do that, even if you women rowed. Then we can cut across the seas and hope that the serpent doesn't drown us crossing the barrier. I've done it once, and that was enough. We needed a shaman for that, though." "We will worry about that later," McGann said. She frowned. "I have to check something out." 186
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She went to the other end of the ship. I trailed after her, wondering what she was doing. I was surprised when she moved a couple of hide packs on deck and revealed Helga crouching there. She swayed afterward and then sat down hard. Helga sneered at her, not upset that she had been found. I thought that she was the woman the raiders had almost raped. It might have been smarter for her to run back to the village, but considering what was happening there, maybe it was smarter that she had hidden aboard the ship when we were stealing it. I shivered, trying not to remember my own rape. It wasn't working. I felt as raw as I had when it had happened. "Logan's gone," McGann said faintly. I didn't know what she meant until I turned around and saw Mason looking pissed and Tamazusa dragging a sheet of something over Logan's face. The man had died. I just had to figure out how McGann had known that when she was standing over there and hadn't been looking at them. "Help Wolf with the sails," McGann told me. I nodded and went over to Wolf. I figured out what I needed to do to help him. It was kind of awkward, but we managed to get the sail up. And while we were working, Wolf wanted to talk. "I've never done something like that before," he said quietly in Japanese. "I—" "I haven't," I started. I swallowed hard, thinking of all the men who had died. Men Wolf had killed in his rage while I watched and didn't stop him. "For all the training that I've 187
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had... I never. Still haven't. So I don't think that I'm the person to talk about this with." "You know that?" he asked. I smiled sickly at him. "You wouldn't let me. I was just there really to make sure that you got back to the boat." Wolf looked guilty and pleased at the same time. "You were mad," I said. "But you still knew who I was. That you didn't want to hurt me." "I was berserk," Wolf said. "If I hadn't done that, Logan might still be alive. So...." "That we didn't all get killed is amazing," I said. "McGann and Tamazusa could be back there, being hurt. You and the others could be dead. I could be dead or hurt again. That didn't happen. You saved all of us. Logan would be the first one to tell you that, I think. So don't hate yourself for what happened." "Fairinox wouldn't have been able to get to you if I had done that before." "He might have," I pointed out. "He wanted me a lot." "That man had to save you," Wolf said. "And you left." "I left because I love him," I told Wolf gently. "Because I didn't want to leave him. That has nothing to do with my feelings for you." This wasn't the best time to bring it up, both of us covered with blood and exhausted from battle. Wolf was the one who had started with this sharing business, though. "I didn't know," Wolf said guiltily. "I didn't even think about it. I'm interested in women, so...." 188
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"You think that everyone is," I finished with a crooked smile. "He dresses you as one," Wolf practically snarled. "And that is something that you can discuss with him," I said. "There's a lot that you don't know. A lot that I don't know, so you should talk to Samojirou-sama, politely, if you have a problem with what we are doing." Wolf nodded, and we stopped talking when Mason came over. "He's gone," Mason said. "I know," Wolf said. "I—" "He was bleeding out as soon as he hit the deck," Mason told him bluntly. "He knew that he was a goner." "What are we going to do with him?" I asked in a small voice. I was Shinto, and that meant that dead bodies were something to avoid. I knew I needed to purify myself after this battle, but keeping a body around for any length of time was both creepy and unsanitary. "Wrap him up and bury him at sea," Wolf said. "I hate to do it, but it isn't practical to keep him with us." Wolf hesitated for a second. "I'll do it. Just give me a minute. We can have some sort of ceremony beforehand and then give him to the ocean." **** I woke up the next morning to McGann throwing up over the side of the ship, Tamazusa rubbing her back, and Helga making snide comments on the other side of her. 189
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"You'll be like that for a couple of weeks," Helga said. "I've been told that after your first, it gets better." "I'm just seasick, believe me," McGann said. Helga laughed. Wolf wandered over to the three of them when he was certain McGann was finished throwing up. He had somehow gotten a fire going in the firepot and had made tea, so he handed her a cup. Mason walked over with him and glared at Helga. "I didn't realize that you had trouble sailing," Wolf said with an apologetic smile. "She's breeding," Helga told him. "Caitlynn?" Wolf asked, sounding very shocked and confused. Embarrassed, too. She smiled at him. "Wolf...." Tamazusa turned and snarled at Mason. "You never told him!" Now Mason looked embarrassed. "It slipped my mind! There wasn't really any place or time that I could tell him, all right? Not where we were alone enough so that he wouldn't freak out." "I take it back," Tamazusa told Mason. "You are a fool." "Tell me what?" Wolf asked the four of them, trying not to glare. "So it's not his, if you didn't want to tell him about it," Helga said gleefully. "Tell me what?" Wolf repeated, sounding really stressed. I didn't blame him, because losing Logan had been hard on him. He really didn't need whatever trouble Helga was trying to stir up right now. 190
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Mason kept his eyes on the deck, and McGann stared at her tea as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Tamazusa rolled her eyes at the both of them and said, "Helga is of the opinion that McGann is carrying your child." Wolf looked stunned, like he'd been hit on the head one too many times. McGann chose that time to start gagging on the tea she had been sipping, and Tamazusa went back to holding her hair out of the way for her and rubbing her back when she hung her head over the side again, leaving Mason to try and explain what was going on. Helga looked like she wanted popcorn to eat, this was so entertaining for her. "It was like the third or fourth day that we were there," Mason started, trying not to look embarrassed. "Tamazusa and McGann had to clean chickens or something." "We had to kill them," McGann said, sounding utterly revolted, even if she hadn't finished throwing up. "I don't understand," Wolf said. "Apparently being pregnant is the only acceptable reason for a woman to get sick," Tamazusa said scathingly, glaring at Helga. "When Helga discovered that McGann was ill, she jumped to the conclusion that she was pregnant. And then she accused her of adultery. With Mason. But then, neither one of us actually told her that McGann was pregnant, she just drew her own conclusions." "Mason?" Wolf repeated. He was obviously still stunned by the whole McGann pregnant thing. Mason sort of looked exhausted by the whole mess. "Tamazusa had given me the heads-up on it, including being nice enough to explain that Helga was being a bigger bitch 191
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than Anya ever was. Damn, I'd never really thought of McGann like that, and you know it. She's got a huge set of brass ones, and I ain't talking about her tits." "I think that I'm flattered," McGann told him dryly, sipping the tea again. She just used it to rinse out her mouth, though, because after spitting it over the side, she cradled the cup in her hand. "Ain't like I've ever been shy about my opinion of either you or Tamazusa. You're both sexy and tough enough to play with the big boys," Mason said shamelessly. "Pregnant?" Wolf repeated. "I assure you that if I am, I slept through the fun part," McGann said with a smile. It looked a little strained to me. "I just reacted badly to the thought of killing chickens." Tamazusa had this funny smile on her face when she said that, like she knew there was something McGann wasn't saying. But it wasn't like there wasn't a lot we weren't hiding from them, either. Helga looked confused by McGann's statement. I got up and went over to join them, hoping that would shift the conversation to something else. "You get enough sleep, kid?" Mason asked. "I guess so," I said. "Are we being followed or something? Is there anything that I can do to help?" "Watch the fire," Wolf said. "This really takes care of itself most of the time. Tholf's agreed to help navigate." "Can you trust him?" Tamazusa asked. Wolf looked annoyed by that question, and I realized that he didn't trust her. She knew it, too, from the way she was 192
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looking at him. I vowed to stay very close to her, so that Wolf wouldn't be tempted to do something stupid. Not that he would, but if he thought that getting rid of her would make it easier for me to leave here, he might do something. But he'd hate himself if he did it, so I wasn't going let him even be tempted like that. "I could say the same thing about you, considering what happened the last time that we met," Wolf retorted. Tamazusa smiled. "It could be said that neither party was at our best last time. However, did any of you really think that such an insult would go unavenged? And as much as you hate to admit it, my interference saved Keno's life." She paused for a second. "Both times." I shivered as I remembered the first time that I saw her. I had been so hurt, physically and mentally. She had saved my life, or at least let me become the man I was supposed to be. Don't laugh. Even when I was out with Samojirou dressed in Sakura's finest, I felt more like a man than I had felt in the hands of the Trust. I supposed I would have probably killed myself by now if she hadn't rescued me. Tamazusa saw me and frowned. "I didn't mean for you to remember those times," she said in Japanese. "I apologize for my thoughtlessness." I shook my head. "I was just thinking that if I had stayed there, I might have been dead by now. I think that I would have managed to kill myself." She frowned deeper. "And Keno-chan, that would have been a greater tragedy than you could imagine." She walked over to me and gave me a hug, which felt odd for a second 193
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before I relaxed and melted into her embrace. "Your first battle. I am so sorry that I am the cause of it because of my foolishness." "I didn't do more than just make sure that no one got to Wolf," I said. "I didn't... I don't think that I killed anyone. I wasn't trying to, but I didn't want to. Which is stupid because they were hurting all those people and trying to kill me." "And I am a terrible person to be glad of that," she said softly. "While you are a fighter and brave, you shouldn't be a warrior. I hoped that you would be like the samurai who held the old ideals but never had to go into battle." "I don't think that's going to happen," I said, too aware of the fact that Wolf knew Japanese. "You are going to have to fight for your kuni." "I know that," she said, stroking my hair. "But please don't be insulted if you are not part of my Hatamoto." I wasn't too surprised to hear that from her. She had people who had centuries of fighting experience, like Okitasan and Kazuya-san. She didn't need me in her army. "You will be leaving me behind, someplace safe," I realized. "I have no problem with that, so long as I get to see Samojirou-sama before you leave." She laughed, even though it sounded strained. I figured she expected me to argue with her. I couldn't, because I knew I would just be a distraction to them and someone to be protected. But I still wanted to be with them. **** Tamazusa 194
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We traveled for several days with Wolf expertly captaining the ship we had stolen. Mason and Keno helped him, but they didn't have the skills needed. From the first, Tholf had been helpful to us. Too helpful, but I thought that it was because we had gotten him off of that farm more than anything more sinister. Helga wasn't so cooperative, and it took a couple of "talks" with her before she realized we... I wasn't going to tolerate her being difficult. We managed to make it to the edge of Iceland without encountering another ship. I didn't know if it was because there was no one else out here or that we were being avoided because others thought we were pirates. I was just glad there was enough water for us to drink, thanks to several gentle rainstorms we had sailed through. There had also been enough to clean us up a bit, so I didn't feel quite as disgusting as I could have without a bath for several days. It would then be a straight sail down to the barrier between the lands. Hopefully we would be able to pass through it. I was certain Keno was the only reason we had made it through before. Then I would have to sail to Nippon and throw myself upon the mercy of Inusuka Shino. He was the Hakkenshi whose kuni was the closest to both the ocean and the upper part of Nippon. "You doin' all right?" Mason asked. I nodded. McGann was still slightly seasick and terribly embarrassed about it. I felt fine, much to her annoyance. And Helga still was acting like a bitch in heat around Wolf, even going as far as hinting to the man that she would be 195
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overjoyed to bear his child. I thought Wolf was still bedding down next to McGann for his own protection now, not hers. "I just hate that it's taking so long," I said quietly. "Aboshi...." "What's wrong?" Mason asked roughly. "You and Keno aren't saying shit, but there's something that you're hiding from us." "Nothing that matters," I dismissed. "You mentioned that he'd think that you're dead," Mason said. "How would he know that? It ain't like you're phoning in to check with him or something. So why would he think that you're dead?" "I do not want to talk about it," I told him coolly. "If it's something that's gonna bite us on the ass, we have to know about it," Mason argued. I shook my head, changing the subject. "We are going to have to appeal to Keno's family when we arrive for help. They are closer to us than Aboshi is. And on the correct side of Nippon." That is, if he were still at our estate or someplace on my kuni. If he hadn't done something foolish, thinking that we were dead. If that were the case, Keno would join his lover as soon as he could. That was something I expected. Not that I accepted, since that would be too much of a waste to me. I didn't want to lose either of them, never mind both of them because I had been foolish, overestimated my charms, and underestimated Iida's intelligence. "I hope that they still ain't pissed at us," Mason said seriously. 196
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I laughed. "The only one who you will have to worry about is Yatsufusa. I think that he isn't too upset with you. You were a noble knight and protected his wife." "But there's something going on besides that," Mason repeated, not distracted by my comments. I looked up at him. Helga was too interested in what we were talking about, so I wasn't going to tell him anything right now. I didn't need that woman knowing my business! Mason saw where I was looking and nodded. "I get it. I don't want to give the bitch any more ammunition, either. But you're eventually going to have to tell me, or us, what has you and Keno so nervous. And it ain't just because were on this fun Love Boat cruise." "I do wish that I did understand some of your references," I said wryly, changing the topic of conversation. "I did have to ask McGann what a wet T-shirt contest was." Mason got this strange look on his face. "Shit!" he cursed. I laughed. "I'm not angry. She was amused, as I was, about the comment. And she did defend you by pointing out that she didn't think you could be polite to someone for too long without hurting yourself. She also told me that you would have made the same comment if you had seen her that day too." Mason relaxed at my comment. "Still willing to take you salsa dancing and drink mojitos if you want to." "I'll think about that," I promised him gravely. I would have to ask McGann what they were first.
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He laughed and slipped an arm around me for a hug. "I don't think that you still need to do that." I pointed out, wondering why I was letting him. "Yes, I do," he said seriously. "If I don't, I'm worried that Helga the Horrible is going to make a move on me. I think that she finally realizes that Wolf isn't willing to play with her. So I'm doing this because I want your protection. I see that she ain't givin' you too much shit." I laughed at that, even though something felt off. I was, for some reason, slightly upset that Mason wasn't serious. **** Mason I wasn't much help sailing the ship. I didn't think that I would be, but I hate to say I was happy Tholf was there. I guessed he wasn't as dumb as I thought he was. He had gotten out of a dead-end place, and in his mind this was a step up from herding goats or whatever it was that he had done there. "So you have allies in Nippon?" Tholf practically bellowed at me when I brought him something to eat. The man even loved the MREs we'd originally had for supplies and were now eating since we were away from the village. I sure as hell wasn't touching the food here. I liked my stomach where it was. "Talk to the boss about that," I said. "McGann?" He grinned at me. I wasn't buying the act, though. He wasn't as dumb and happy as he wanted us to believe that he was. I just didn't 198
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know why he was putting on the act. Did he think he could hook up with us because Logan was gone? Shit, I was going to have to see if Tamazusa could find someplace for him with her posse. If he went with us, his ass would be toast the moment we got back to the real world. I wouldn't even wish that on Helga. Tamazusa would take care of him. There must be some place on that spread for him. Shit, I bet she even knew she'd have to take Helga back with her too, as annoying as that woman was. "Last time that I checked, Wolf was the man in charge," I corrected. "He seeks her counsel," Tholf pointed out. "And he seems to know the boy very well also, for all that he doesn't care for his sister." "We've known the kid for a while," I said. "And his sister isn't bad once you get to know her." He laughed at that. "You seem to know her very well." "Don't fucking talk trash about her," I growled. If he started that shit around Keno, he'd kill the both of us. I wasn't going to tell him who Tamazusa really was, because I didn't know what he might do. I wasn't going to give that secret away yet. "She is a formidable woman," Tholf complimented, looking at me as if he knew why I was acting this way and thought it was funny as all hell. "Fearless, since she is willing to deal with Helga." "Keeps her occupied," I muttered. Not that there was a hell of a lot to do on the ship that didn't center on keeping the damn thing going. I was fucking 199
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thankful it hadn't done more than sprinkle the days we had been sailing. If a storm blew up, even if it wasn't as nasty as the one that drove Keno and Tamazusa onto that island, we were toast. I knew that there weren't enough of us to make sure we could ride out the storm on this thing. I was really appreciating airplanes right now and wishing my ass was on one. "We're close to the barrier," Tholf said, getting serious. "She's going to have to tell us how we're going through it." "How can you tell?" I asked, feeling like a dumb fuck. "The water is getting lighter," he explained, and he managed not to sound like I was a dumbass for not knowing this. Tholf understood that I knew two things about boats: jack and shit. "Around the barriers it does that. The sea is rough, because it keeps hitting something that shouldn't be there. It isn't even like this when the serpent is stirring," he continued. "There's a shimmer to the air where the barrier is. Sometimes the air is colder or warmer than it should be, depending on what's on the other side of the barrier. You need a powerful shaman to cross it. I don't see that you have one." "And if we don't have a shaman? What then?" "Then you need to bargain with a merchant for space on his ship." Tholf frowned. "You would not like the price that they would want." He was silent for a moment before adding almost delicately. "And I think that you know what it would be. I'd ask Tamazusa what she is plotting." "How do you know that she's plotting anything?" I asked, not liking what he was hinting at. And shit, I knew it was true 200
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too. But even if we couldn't get through the barrier, I wouldn't ask someone to do that to cover my ass. He grunted and adjusted the tiller. "I should say that she is a woman and they do nothing but plot, but that is not the truth." He stared at her for a minute. Tamazusa turned around and looked at the two of us, almost sensing that we were talking about her. I grinned and waved at her. Tholf continued to study her, a thoughtful look on his face. "She, out of all of you, is a leader," he pronounced. "Odin would be proud of her." I had no clue what he was talking about. I thought that it showed on my face, because he roared with laughter. "You really don't know about One-Eye? She would be a match for him." "Don't know shit," I told him truthfully. "Learning wasn't something that I did a lot of." With that I wandered off to talk to Tamazusa, because I really did want to know what she was plotting. I managed to sort of corner her alone, or at least away from everyone else in the ship. Keno was being useful and running interference with Helga. I could tell that he liked being able to give Tamazusa a break from having to ride herd on her. "Tholf wants to know what you have planned," I told her bluntly. She looked at me with a cool smile, "I knew the man wasn't as stupid as he pretended to be. Sort of like another man of my acquaintance." "It happens," I admitted. "You got a shaman up your sleeve to get us back to your place?' 201
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"You know what I do and do not have," she said bitterly. It frosted her cookies that she had to depend on us. And you know what, I didn't fucking blame her for hating that. But there was also a hint in what she said, something she expected me to get. I stared at her for a long minute before I blurted out, "Keno!" She nodded. "He doesn't know that he has done this before. And I don't know how to tell him." I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that Keno was the person who saved their asses. Don't get me wrong, I know that the kid can fight and had a set of balls—really big ones— underneath the girly dress-up he had been doing. But I just couldn't see him doing something like magic. Shit, how did it really work? Could he make it work again? "Clicking his heels together three times sounds really stupid, but, shit, it might work," I said. "He's got the Judy Garland drag queen act down perfect." "I really do wish that I did understand more of what you are telling me," Tamazusa told me crossly. I laughed. "Sorry, honey, it's too hard to explain. Shit, ask McGann about it. She knows all sorts of cool stuff like this. But fuck, Keno wants to go home. I think that's all he needs with this kind of hoodoo." "Hoodoo?" she asked. "I think that I've heard you use this word before, but I don't know what it means." "Magic," I told her shortly. "We tend to use a lot of different terms for it. Hoodoo's either casual stuff or something really nasty. What Collins and Fairinox were doing was nasty, so it was hoodoo. Same with the spell that gets us 202
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here." Something tickled at the back of my mind when I said that, but I ignored it. I'd try and think about it when I got some time. "Magic, shit, it's like what fairies do. Spell casting, which is also magic, is something where a human needs to say shit or do shit to make it work. I know that there is a lot more to it than that, but, fuck, that's what I know. I've always said that I ain't the brightest bulb in the pencil box." "It is too confusing to even try and coax the truth out of that tangled mess," she said. "But I think that I know how to approach the issue now." "Glad to be of use," I said, even though I had no clue what I had just told her. "Does the kid know that he can do something like that?" She smiled at me. "Keno is aware that I took him under my protection because I sensed that he had some sort of power." "Really?" I asked her sarcastically. "Not because he was a present for the boy toy?" She flushed but then smiled. It was wistful somehow, and it made me sad for some reason. "I see the two of them together, and I think that it's wonderful." "Well, I sort of figured that Keno had it for him bad when he hugged Samojirou horns, claws, and whatever," I agreed. "So I really don't think that this barrier shit is going to keep them apart." She nodded. "Excuse me, then. We are close to it." I could tell now, since Tholf had told me what to look for. The sea was rough, and I guessed that McGann was going to be hanging her head over the side soon. There was a faint 203
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shimmer about a half mile off, if I was guessing the distance right. My stomach twisted, and I wondered how we were supposed to get through that. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Eight Keno We were tired and dirty by the end of the journey. Tamazusa had decided to sail right up to Shino's castle, which was part of the capital for his territory and right on the ocean. It helped that his territory was next to Sousuke's and they shared their power equally. Between the two of them, they controlled an area that was huge, almost twice as big as Tamazusa's and a lot more populated. There were a lot of castle towns scattered around their territory, while Tamazusa's had one or two of them, because she preferred a leisurely rural life to the busyness of a city. It also helped that she had resources they didn't. I didn't know exactly how she made her money or whatever you want to call it, but I knew she and Samojirou were rich. We sailed into the town's harbor to get to Shino's castle. It was going to be annoying, trying to pass through all their defenses, knowing there were archers on the wall who were watching our every move as we disembarked off the longboat. "Who goes there?" one of the guards called out. Tamazusa and I looked at each other. I didn't want anyone to know she was with us. "Tell Inusuka-sama that one of his brothers is here to see him," I called back. The man disappeared off the wall almost immediately, even though he had no reason to believe that claim. I also 205
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noticed that the tenshu was closed up, as if they expected an army to march up at any moment. "It looks like you're not welcomed here," Helga said nastily, even if she didn't understand Japanese. "Can you trust this lord?" McGann asked, looking tired and put out. I figured she wanted to be clean more than anything and was willing to risk the wrath of my family to do it. "He is my brother," I said. "I trust him. If I didn't, then we wouldn't be here." "Those mean fuckers weren't too happy to see us last time," Mason said. He was about to say something else when the castle gate was raised. A dozen samurai spilled out of the gate and surrounded us. "You will come with us," one of them said. He was big, and I knew that he was a good fighter, but I couldn't remember his name. We had met the last time I was here, and he did seem to recognize me, even if I was dressed in modern clothing. And I was pretty sure he knew who Tamazusa was. The rest of the party tensed up, but I wasn't worried. I didn't think there was any danger here, but I knew something strange was going on. Everyone in the castle was too tense, more so than if Tamazusa and I had simply gone missing. Something else had happened, probably to do with whatever Iida's plot had been. "Big sister?" I asked Tamazusa respectfully, wanting to know what she thought of this. She shrugged but didn't look too worried. I strode forward, trying not to show how uneasy I was, because this could be a trap. We were all inside the walls when the gate came 206
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crashing down. I'm not ashamed to admit that I jumped a mile when I heard that. But before anyone could say anything, a woman came running toward us. "Keno!" she screamed and practically threw herself in my arms, hugging me and crying. It was Inusuka Hamaji, Shino's wife. My arms automatically went around her. She held me close for a minute before drawing back to look at me. "You look terrible," she exclaimed unthinkingly. "That clothing is awful on you. And you smell! What happened to you?" I laughed, because Hamaji was infamous in the family for her tactlessness. She didn't give me a chance to answer her, though. She turned and snapped at her master-at-arms. I remembered his name: Farusawa. "Send birds to my husband. Tell him that the blossoms have returned to Nippon." "What has happened?" Tamazusa demanded. Hamaji looked at her and the rest of us. "That news can wait until you have bathed and rested." "Samojirou-sama?" I asked, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice. She hugged me again. "Mother has had such a time with him! Even Father's trying to be nice to him. He... he was very upset about what happened, but Dousetsu managed to keep him from doing something stupid." "How?" Tamazusa asked in an overly calm tone. Hamaji looked to be at a loss. Even she wasn't brave enough to give Tamazusa a hug like she was family. "He's spent most of the time drugged, because he thinks that you're both dead. He's throwing himself into battle, because 207
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no one's agreed to be his second. Unfortunately, your kuni is in chaos, between the monsters and Iida-sama's invasion. I don't have all the details. My karo can tell you more, after you've bathed and eaten." I sagged in shock and then looked at Hamaji. "Get me a fast horse." "You can't," she told me, even as I wrenched myself out of her arms. I needed to leave here now! "It's complicated. But—" "Nippon is at war, since it is spreading, since the lords of Nippon are taking advantage of the chaos," Tamazusa said flatly. "Because I was a fool and underestimated Iida." "What the fuck's going on?" Mason asked, because we were all talking in Japanese. "Tell them, Wolf," Tamazusa said coolly. "I know that you speak the language. I've known for a while." Wolf looked startled, flushing under the looks that Tamazusa and Hamaji gave him, like he had been caught stealing sweets. "Nippon's at war," he said in English so the others could understand what was going on. "Who's Iida?" "A southern Nipponese lord," Tamazusa said in English. "It was his ship that Keno and I had been on when it was driven into the Northlands. A good move on his part. No one would suspect we were there, if we survived, since his land is off the southern tip of Nippon." "He almost fuckin' kills you, and you're admiring him?" Mason burst out.
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"Aside from the grief that he is causing Aboshi, I can admire Iida's skill in the Game. I was overconfident, and I.... many other people are suffering for it," Tamazusa said sadly. "And is 'Aboshi' your husband?" Helga asked her. It wasn't a nice question, not the way she asked it. She had seen that Tamazusa was still being nice to Mason. Or maybe that Mason was being nice to her, looking after her and teasing her. I couldn't believe she was still trying to stir up trouble, seeing that she was in a foreign country, didn't know the language, and had no friends here. But then, Helga wasn't too intelligent, from what I had seen on the ship. Even Hamaji stared at her in amazement for her rudeness. Tamazusa looked down her nose at Helga. "He is my karo, and my consort. Also Keno's lover." Helga gaped at her while Tholf grimaced at the news. He knew what that word meant, and he wasn't too happy about finding out that I was gay. "And what are these two doing with you?" Hamaji asked us in Japanese. "That woman... I wouldn't trust her." I shook my head. "After we were driven into the Northlands by a storm and maybe other things, we met the others on a small farm on someplace called the Faroe Islands. Helga and Tholf are from the Northern Lands, while Wolf, Mason, and McGann are from the real world. They... I knew them before I came here." Hamaji nodded, signaling to her samurai and the maids. "A bath and then food. We can discuss things then." She hesitated for a second. "Do you want to include the outsiders?" 209
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"They are my allies at this time," Tamazusa said. "It would be rude not to." Hamaji blushed, looking very young and innocent. She didn't play the Game, instead still acting like the carefree girl. I thought that was how she played her part in the Game most of the time. "Including the Northerners?" Tamazusa laughed. "Unfortunately so. Though I doubt that they would add anything to the conversation." Hamaji nodded. A group of her samurai escorted us to the samurais' baths, while she took Tamazusa, McGann, and Helga to ladies' baths, her maids trailing behind her. **** Tamazusa Inusuka Hamaji escorted my party to the baths. I must admit that I was willing to wait for information, if I could have a hot bath. I felt filthy, and I knew that I could take any bad news when I was clean and rested. McGann, since she had bathed this way before, needed no instructions. Helga, however, proved to be difficult. She was upset that we expected her to be clean, like a civilized person, and that we were going to take her clothing away from her. It was torn, and she had been sweating heavily in it, since it was wool, and it was summer in Nippon. It stunk and had been dirty before she had ended up with us. "This is disgusting!" Helga snarled, looking at the kimono she was supposed to wear. Given her size, it was one worn by a man, but attractive nonetheless. I didn't see what issue she had with it, other than it was something she wasn't familiar 210
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with and thought she could bully me about. It hadn't worked in the past, and I didn't know why she thought that it would work now. "To be clean?" I asked dryly. "I know that hot water and cleanliness are a foreign concept to you, but do try to be open to new experiences." McGann was wise and stayed out of our way. She even managed to draw Hamaji away from us. I was grateful that my hostess wouldn't get caught in a fight between us, if it turned physical again. "I won't wear the clothing of the skraelingjar," she snarled. "Then you will be naked," I said coldly. "You will clean up and be civil to our hostess, if I have to beat manners into you." "You couldn't!" Helga snapped, stepping closer and trying to intimidate me, since she was far taller than I was. It didn't work. I grabbed her arm, pulled her forward so she was off balance, twisted her arm, driving her to her knees, and then pulled her arm up behind her so she would stay there. You would think the woman would have learned not to do this after the first time I had done this to her. "You will be clean and civil. Keno's family is not to be insulted." "You and they are just skraelingjar," Helga screeched. "You told us that he was your brother! You lied!" I twisted her arm tighter. "I don't like that word," I said calmly. "So you will stop referring to me or anyone else here as that. And Keno is like a brother to me. You will find out that Keno has a very large and formidable family, besides 211
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myself. It would be wise of you to keep a civil tongue in your head." Helga sneered at me, and I debated whether or not I should break her arm. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her foolishness. Fortunately, Helga realized that she was about to push me too far. I thought that it had just dawned on her how alone and without allies she was. Tholf had been amused more than anything when he saw how I had dealt with her, so he would be of no help to her. "She really is rude." Hamaji told McGann, apparently in all innocence, but loud enough for us to hear. "Was she like that for your entire journey?" "Unfortunately, Helga seems to have fewer manners than Mason," McGann told her with a laugh. "And I never thought that I'd say that about anyone." Helga flushed but said nothing. I debated shoving her into one of the garden ponds, because I really didn't want to deal with the temper tantrum of a weak spirit when I had so much else to deal with. "I will bathe," Helga told me haughtily, and I let go of her arm. She eventually moved over to the side of the tub to scrub herself clean, glaring at the onsen as if it had insulted her. I joined her, cleaning up while I listened to the other two chatter. "Mother said Mason was very nice to her in the real world," Hamaji said. "She thinks very highly of him." McGann flushed. "I'm sorry about that. I never knew that was the plan." 212
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"Father was the one who was in terrible temper about the whole thing, along with everyone else," Hamaji continued, accepting McGann's apology with a gentle smile. "He was so angry that you stole Mother, even if Samojirou was humbled because of it." "Including your husband?" McGann asked. Hamaji nodded. "Shino was very upset, too, along with Sousuke. And they weren't happy about finding out that Keno was Samojirou's consort. They had met the two of them.... Well, they didn't recognize Keno for who he is, and that troubled them when they found out who Sakura really was. And it is better that you call him Sakura, not Keno." "I'm afraid I don't remember either one of them," McGann said apologetically. "I know that I've met them, though." "They mentioned you," Hamaji told her cheerfully. "They thought that you kept your wits about you in the situation you were in." "Other than that, I doubt that they had anything flattering to say," McGann said softly. "I do thank you for your kindness and information." Hamaji smiled and said nothing. Helga just stared at the two of them. "How do you know these people? Her man said that they were travelers, but Egil thought that they were strange." "They're 'strange' as you say," I said, finally willing to tell her the truth. "Because they are human. Unlike us, they still live." Helga was stepping into the hot water of the onsen, and she just froze when I told her that. "You lie!" 213
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"I assure you that they are not spirits of any kind, but are from the real world," I said. "A very dull and hostile place." McGann flushed. I knew she was remembering our earlier conversation about Keno. "I'm still 'alive', if that is the correct term to use," McGann said, "as are Mason and Wolf. I didn't realize that it made such a difference, Tamazusa-sama." "And she isn't foolish enough to be married to Wolf," I said scathingly. "The only thing that I like about the modern world is the independence of the women there." "Being married probably would ruin our business relationship, since he does work for me," McGann said with a smile. "Sama?" Helga asked. She wasn't too stupid, just a troublemaker, which could be worse than stupidity, in my opinion. At least it might distract her from Wolf. What was it about the man that attracted troublemaking women? "Lord," I explained. "As in 'ruler'. I hold... held a kuni in Nippon." "'Held'," Helga repeated with glee. "I will hold it again," I said. I would. I just hoped the cost wouldn't be too high. It would be, if Aboshi came to any sort of harm because of my foolishness. "And I assure you that Wolf being nice to you doesn't mean that he's interested in you in any manner. It's just that he was raised to be polite to women," McGann said flatly. "He's still civil to his ex, and that was a really messy breakup, so just listen to me and stay away from Wolf."
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"You want him but can't have him," Helga spat at her, clearly not understanding anything she was telling her. "So you don't want anyone else to have him." "She wants her best fighter to not be distracted by a bitch in heat," I snarled. "Like you distract the skraeling Mason?" Helga demanded. I backhanded her, much to everyone's surprise. I didn't know why I did it; I hadn't been interested in a man in centuries. They were only pieces to be moved about in the Game, which was why I had been willing to meet with Iida. So why was I upset about what this creature thought about my relationship with Mason? **** Keno Farusawa was tall and skinny, too bony to be considered handsome, but there was something about the man that drew your eye. His attitude toward me was a mixture of respect and wariness, for some reason unknown to me. He was civil to Wolf and Mason, which was all that mattered. Tholf looked confused about what to do, but he willingly followed our instructions. We cleaned up and settled in for a soak. I was almost quivering with impatience to see what was happening, but I knew hurrying Hamaji wasn't going to happen. She wouldn't tell me what crisis we were facing until I was clean and rested. She took her duties as my brother Shino's lady very seriously. 215
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"You Southerners are decadent," Tholf rumbled as he settled into the tub. "I could get to like this." "Nice as the place that you had up north was," Mason said, climbing in next to him. "I missed this." "Your woman taking care of you would make this better," Tholf said. "Tamazusa's a nice lady," Mason answered. "And she ain't mine. She just needed me then, 'cause you guys can be assholes about shit. Like calling her a skraeling." He didn't mention that we had also been called that several times. He was trying to be tactful. I just thought that it was amazing. "Tamazusa-sama is a formidable lord," Farusawa said. "She's no one's woman. Her karo's been devastated by her disappearance. Fuse-hime has had her hands full with him." I must have made some sort of noise, because Farusawa looked at me guiltily. "Samojirou-sama is fine, as far as I know. Sakura-dono had been sick for awhile before this, but she seems to be taking care of him also." Wolf and Mason just looked at each other, and I glared at them to keep quiet. My family knew about my disguise as Sakura, but almost no one else did. It wasn't something I wanted spread about, either. "Fuse-hime will kick his ass into shape," Mason said. "She's one tough lady." I made a move to get out of the tub, not willing to wait anymore for information. Hamaji would just have to get me a horse, and I'd join him. Tamazusa was safe here. Mason would take care of her, as well as Hamaji and her samurai. 216
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And she'd understand, too, even if I were neglecting my duty to her. I couldn't wait any longer. "Keno, shit, you can't go fucking running around like a nut," Mason objected, like he was reading my mind. I was surprised to see Farusawa almost winced when he saw Mason scolding me. What did he think I was going to do to him? "I was not thinking of that," I said sharply. "I simply want to rejoin my lover, so he doesn't think that I'm dead and do something foolish." I didn't care that I was probably giving Farusawa a big clue that I was Sakura. It wasn't like he wasn't going to eventually figure it out. "Foolish?" Wolf asked. "Seppuku," I said shortly. "I know that he doesn't want to lose me again. He'd follow me to the hells if he had to." "Who is Hamaji?" Wolf asked me as a distraction. He didn't like hearing that, hearing that Aboshi loved me enough to follow me into death. I really wasn't comfortable with it either, but I wasn't going to tell him that! "My older brother Shino's wife," I said. "They were married in the real world. Their romance is the stuff of legends. She also could be the twin of Dousetsu's half-sister." "Which one of those mean fuckers was Shino?" Mason asked. "I wish that you wouldn't refer to my brothers as 'mean fuckers'," I said mildly. I couldn't be angry though. He wasn't insulting them, because he did admire them in his own way. Farusawa was openly gawking at us. I guessed he wasn't used to someone with as little manners as Mason. Or did he expect me to do something odd to teach him a lesson? 217
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Anyone who knew Mason knew it would be a waste of time. I decided that he liked being rude and playing the fool because it would make people think he was really that stupid. "Dousetsu was the one who helped me," Wolf said quietly. "The one with no sense of humor," Mason said, nodding, apparently remembering him after thinking for a second. "Fuck, Keno! I know that you have it bad for Samojirou, but running around the countryside isn't a good idea. We had a lot of shit to go through getting here. How far away is he? And can you ride a horse?" "Not very well," I said stiffly, angry that he was being so logical. "Then see what kind of plan we can come up with so you can join him without getting yourself killed," Mason insisted. "Shit, at least you're both here, unlike last time. That was a bitch of a time for us." I climbed out of the onsen and started to get dressed. The maids had left kimono for all of us. I was impressed that they had found something to fit Tholf, but then, my brother Konbungo was almost as big as he was. "I'm not moving," Tholf said. "My bones ache." "I don't care if you come or not," I said rudely. "My lord included you as a courtesy." "You let a woman rule you?" Tholf asked, not insulted by my insult. "I don't know what problem you have with that," Mason said. "McGann's a good boss too. Shit, it ain't an issue most of the time what your boss's plumbing is, so long as they got 218
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the stones to make the hard decisions. Both McGann and Tamazusa have 'em." "Your wife—" "Caitlynn and I aren't married," Wolf said quietly. "It was a deception so that no one would bother her." Tholf grinned. "She's a woman I could pay court to, unlike Helga. Since she's free, I might." Wolf glared at him for that comment, and I guessed that he liked McGann a lot and not just as his boss. That made the way he had acted around her make a lot of sense to me. I just wondered if she liked him the same way. "What's her story?" Mason asked, trying to distract Wolf. He had seen that look too. I knew that he'd tell Tholf sometime later that married or not, Wolf still considered her off limits for him. "You guys were short women, and she's got no man. It's not like she's that bad looking." "She's got thief's eyes," Tholf said. "An evil woman, a troublemaker. She was lucky that Grima took her in. If not, she would be sent to see the gods." "I will watch the Northerner," Farusawa said. I guessed he thought that I was in charge here, probably because I was Shino's brother. That wasn't too well known, either, but for different reasons. Probably the original Inuzaka Keno was a crazy fighter, someone that you didn't want to anger, which was why Farusawa was acting like I should take Mason's head or something because of the way that he was acting. I knew that was the custom of their time. But Samojirou didn't want me dealing with that reputation, which was why I was called Sakura. And to be honest, I didn't want 219
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to deal with it either. I was a fighter, but not a killer like my ancestor had been. I realized that when I was on the beach and couldn't kill any of those raiders, even knowing what they would do to Tamazusa and me. I couldn't, as stupid as it sounded. Thank the kami that Wolf had been there. Wolf and Mason started to get dressed, realizing I wasn't going to wait around for information. I was aware that a couple of other samurai here had wandered into the bathhouse. Farusawa wasn't going to be alone with Tholf, even though I knew he could beat Tholf in a fight. I had managed to do that, and I knew I wasn't a strong fighter. There was a maid waiting outside for us, and she silently guided us to the main hall. There was a tension in the air that told me there was something going on here. I wondered how bad the fighting was. Hamaji, Tamazusa, and McGann were waiting for us. I wasn't surprised that Helga was missing, since she had been hostile to both Tamazusa and McGann, so I doubted she would be included in any planning sessions we had. I wasn't surprised to see food and tea waiting for us. Wolf and Mason sat down, while I remained on my feet, unable to relax at all. I started pacing back and forth, needing to do something now that I was in Nippon, even though I was exhausted. "I want a fast horse and supplies," I announced to Hamaji after a minute. She and Tamazusa exchanged smiles. "I told you he would say that," Tamazusa said. "Aboshi isn't the only besotted fool that I have to deal with." "My lord," I objected, "I fail—" 220
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"She sent word to Aboshi and your brothers that you and I are safe," she said gently. "It is faster, but more nerveracking to have him come to us. I fear that you must wait." "He is in your kuni," Hamaji said. "Most of the fighting is either happening there or spilling into one of the neighboring kuni. The chaos is spreading, however, and soon all of Nippon will be involved. There are monsters throughout the lands and rumors that the Southerners are poised to invade." "The Southerners?" McGann asked. "Egyptians," Tamazusa clarified. "Their boats only look fragile. They are able to cross the barrier easily, with luck and skill, because they have strong magics. But the issue had been in the past that they couldn't land on Nippon and keep a foothold so that they can invade. We watch them too closely for that, knowing that they lust for our lands, for the greenness that they don't have. That was why they were interested in whatever lies your Trustees may tell them." "Their weapons are a bit cruder than ours, since their ironwork is almost as crude as the Northerners," I added. "There are very few things that match the strength and the grace of a katana," Wolf said. "Sit down, Keno," Hamaji counseled. "You have to wait. I know that it's hard." I looked at her. There was a shine to her eyes that hinted that she was going to cry. I didn't want her to cry, so I sat down. I hoped Samojirou at least had the good sense to bring Shino with him. **** 221
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Samojirou Inuyama watched me as I ate. There was always one of them with me now, no matter what. They were frightened, if I could use that word, that I would suicide. I knew it wasn't because they cared for me; they just didn't want their brother Keno hurt. I'd say that Fuse was the exception to this, but she had been escorted back to Awa as soon as the fighting broke out. A war camp was no place for her, even if it seemed that most of the rest of her family were here. Aside from Inuyama Dousetsu, his brothers Inusuka Shino, Inukawa Sousuke, and Inukai Genpachi were also watching me. "I said that I wouldn't do anything foolish," I told him in an irritated tone. "Like attacking a kasha by yourself?" Inuyama asked in almost the same voice. "That wasn't foolish, was it?" A kasha was the size of two horses side by side, with poisonous tentacles. It was a mindless beast, usually controlled by its hunger or in rare cases, a sorcerer. It was rarely seen, but with the chaos growing in Tamazusa's kuni and the surrounding lands, such creatures were becoming all too common. Most of the peasants had fled, and I foresaw a poor harvest and starvation, no matter who won this war. Iida's armies had gathered on the shoreline of the kuni, held back by Okita at the Saigawa River. The opportunists had also come out in force; smaller daimyo who hoped to win their own lands or lords who wanted a richer kuni had started to attack. The fighting hadn't been that involved yet, since most of our troubles had come from the monsters. I knew that soon, Nippon would be plunged into a war that would have 222
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the other lands attacking us, taking advantage of our weakness. "I was not injured," I said. It had been a near thing, because I had thrown myself into the fight recklessly. I had gone ahead of my guard, and I had thought that Okita would burst with anger when he saw what I was doing. That he managed to keep the scavengers—munashi—that surrounded it off of me was more good fortune than I had deserved. "That is because the gods look out for fools," Inukai snapped as he walked into the tent. "I am not a fool," I told him tiredly. I yawned and looked down at the bowl of rice in my hands. "You...." "I promised Mother that I would look out for you," Inuyama said. "I know that you gave me your word, but it would be better for you if you sleep. You don't unless we drug you." That was true, and I really couldn't be angry with them. My anguish about Keno had settled into a mind-numbing ache. That didn't mean I couldn't function; the Hakkenshi were here to make sure I was taken care of as much as they were here to make sure I didn't kill myself. I carefully put my bowl down and went over to the futon in the corner of the tent. I closed my eyes and just floated away, too broken to really fight what was happening here. They'd wake me for a battle or to feed me. That's all my life was now: sleeping, eating, and fighting. There was a thick wall of ice between me and the rest of the universe. That was something I needed so I wouldn't feel the loss of Keno, which echoed in my brain at the oddest moments. That was why I 223
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had attacked the kasha. I had heard the tiny whisper of "he's gone" in the back of my head, and suddenly, attacking that creature without waiting for help seemed the most logical thing in the worlds to do. They told me afterward that it had been practically shredded by the amount of damage I had done to it. I didn't remember a moment of that battle. "We're going to have a hard time waking him," I heard Inukai say before everything just stopped. **** I was awakened by Inusuka shaking me roughly. I blinked, wondering why he looked so happy. During the week that Tamazusa's kuni fell into chaos, Inusuka had become more and more intense, blocking out anyone but his brother Inukawa. Inukawa had become almost as grim as Inuyama, so I didn't know why Inusuka needed him, but they had grown up together. They had a very close bond. If I'd had the energy, I might have cared about it. "There has been a bird from Hamaji," Inusuka said. "Yes?" I was still befuddled by whatever was in my system. I saw the others were here with him, and all of them looked relieved. Even Yatsufusa looked happy, even if I didn't know when he had arrived. "My wife sent word that the blossoms have returned to Nippon," Inusuka told me. "It's almost the harvest," I said dumbly. "There are no blossoms." They all looked at each other when I said that. Inukai frowned. "I think that we gave him too much this time." 224
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"There was enough in there to bring down three men. Of course we gave him too much. He's been needing more and more lately," Inuyama muttered. "But—" "Enough," snarled Inukawa. "He's in no condition for any type of word games. Samojirou, it seems that your lady and our brother have returned to Nippon." I looked at them, the words finally making sense to me. Keno was better known as Sakura, rather than by his real name. It kept him safe from those who would use him and those who would try to make their name and reputation by challenging Inuzaka Keno. And my lady's name's kanji meant jeweled bush. Since anyone could shoot down a messenger bird or intercept it for its message, Hamaji's cryptic message made sense now. "I have to..." I said, trying to get up, but my limbs wouldn't work. "You can barely move," Inukai said patiently. "You have to wait." "I will not!" I snarled. "You will," Inuyama said, projecting calm. "You cannot walk the shadows with what is in your system. Wait. Sleep some more, and then you will see your lover." "I can't," I said even as I yawned. What had they been giving me? What had they given me this time? I could barely function, which had to have been what they wanted. I struggled to move, frustrated when Inukai stopped me by just pressing his hand against my chest.
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"You walk now, and you'd be lost in the shadows, and then where would my brother be?" he asked softly. "You are his world. Wait so he does not lose it a second time." With that I fell back to sleep. **** I woke up naturally several hours later, wondering why I felt so good. It took me a minute to remember the conversation I'd had last with the Hakkenshi. It still felt unreal to me. I sat up, noticing that it was Inukai who was my watcher now. "I—" "It wasn't a dream," he assured me with a grin. "You can go back to scandalizing Sousuke and Shinbee with our brother." I laughed at that, even if it sounded strained. "You?" "Seeing our brother happy, even if it is with you, makes me happy. He was such a bastard before. He's a good man now. It's good to see that one of us can be like that." "An innocent," I said, trying not to be upset by Inukai's statement. But I understood his bitterness toward me. If it weren't for what I had done to Jin-yo, he and his brothers wouldn't be here. Would they have been happier if they had lived normal lives? "And we will keep him that way," Inukai promised. "I feel fine," I stated. "Eat first," Inukai urged. I grimaced, remembering my last meal. How long had I been unconscious? He laughed. "You're going to be too busy 226
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to eat when you get to Shino's castle. Now is the time to eat." I got up, feeling stiff and sore. I looked at him. "About a day or so," he said. "Inuyama wanted to make sure that you weren't going to give us any trouble. You need a bath too." I nodded, not looking forward to it. There wasn't a decent place to bathe here. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Nine Samojirou I got to Inusuka's castle in the evening, arriving in the shadows of one of the smaller gardens there. I brought Inusuka with me. I was surprised to see that he looked uncomfortable after we appeared. "My brother does that with you?" he asked, swallowing hard. "He is braver than I thought." "Keno was a creature of the shadows," I said softly, "due to his vow. I fear that he is too comfortable with them still, since this manner of travel has never bothered him." Inusuka looked at me and nodded. I knew that we would not speak of it again. I followed him as he went into the lord's room, looking for his wife. We found Hamaji with Tamazusa and Keno in her garden, talking idly. I stopped at the edge of it, just needing to look at Keno and Tamazusa before I got closer. It didn't seem real to me, even if my lord was not in her customary black and Keno looked pale and somehow thinner. Both of them looked fragile to me, and I hated that. Inusuka strode forward. Keno looked up when he heard him, and then his eyes met mine. We just stared at each other, lost in the joy of seeing each other. I didn't know who made the first move, but the three of us ended up in an embrace. I knew I should have been more formal with Tamazusa, but I needed to touch her, to know that she was actually there, as much as I needed to do the 228
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same with Keno. His head was buried against my chest, and he had both arms around me tight. I had Tamazusa in a partial embrace while hugging Keno tight to me. "My lord," I whispered. "I fear that—" she started. "I wasn't," I said. "I never even thought that something like this would happen." I was surprised that she was accepting of my embrace. "I will let you deal with Keno, before we discuss more grave matters," she said. "He... I would not have survived without him." She stepped back from me with a smile and actually laughed as I swung Keno up into my arms. I needed more than a simple hug from him now. I needed to reassure myself that he was really here. "Left and three doors down," he murmured before he started kissing me. I wasn't the only one who needed to be intimate. I managed to get to his room without disgracing myself. I wasn't surprised that as soon as I set him down, he was taking my clothing off. "I want you," he said hurriedly. "Now... please...." He didn't need to beg. I wanted him as much, too much. There wasn't going to be any kissing or preparation, beyond what he needed to take me easily. "Keno," I moaned. "I have oil," he said, blushing furiously. "And I... I knew that you were coming, so...." That was all I needed to hear. I lifted him into my arms again, worried that he was so light, but unable to care about 229
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it. My fingers explored his hidden opening. He was oiled. I stretched him hastily, not wanting him to be in any pain. He moaned as I scissored my fingers in him, kissing me breathlessly. "Aboshi...." I didn't let him say any more. I lifted him higher and impaled him on my staff. Thankfully, he understood what I was doing and wrapped his legs around my waist. I supported him as he rode me, kissing me fiercely. I almost came from that alone. I wasn't surprised that Keno came after only a couple of strokes. His joy triggered my own, and I emptied myself into him. He lifted his head up, looking dazed. "Aboshi." Not Samojirou. I didn't know if he was too satiated to be formal with me, or that he was finally willing to call me by my first name. "More," I said roughly. He blinked, not knowing what I meant. He understood when I carried him over to the futon on the floor and laid him down, not slipping out of him the entire time. I started kissing him again, thrusting into him, not wanting this to end. I was rough with him, pinning his hands down and just taking him. But Keno didn't fight me. He arched up into my thrusts, moaning with me, bowing off the floor, needing and wanting this as much as I did. As he wrapped his body around mine, we moved together as one, consumed with the need to pleasure one another. He took his joy again with a breathy sound, and I found mine a few thrusts later. Keno sobbed once and hid his head in my shoulder. "I was so frightened that you—you would do something and that I'd never see you again!" 230
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"I was cold," I murmured. "The whole world was ice when I was aware of it. None of your brothers would help me join you until they were certain that there was no hope. I... I must confess that I didn't think that there was." "The Northerners are barbaric," he said. "I feared that I would not be able to protect Tamazusa-sama." He was silent for a moment. "It was hard to accept Wolf's help." I kissed him, and somehow we managed to switch positions to settle Keno on top of me. He flexed his body, grimacing for a moment before he leaned over and started to kiss me again, riding me in slow, languid movements. "It's too much," I protested, even as my body responded to him. This time it was slow and gentle, with a warmth that was priceless to me. I didn't know how long we had been moving together; he turned into the only thing I was aware of. When Keno gave a small cry of completion, slumping over on me, totally exhausted, I thrust deeply one more time, finding my own ecstasy, as intense as the first two times had been, even if we were both worn out. I twitched the cover over us, not wanting to move or caring about cleaning up or even checking on Tamazusa. Keno murmured something and nuzzled my chest. We were both asleep in minutes. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Ten Mason I wandered over to where Tamazusa's room was. I noticed that she had gotten a room near Keno and Samojirou, which seemed to be in a nicer wing than where we were. I was glad, because I knew that even without her kuni, she was still someone who counted. But I was also of the opinion that Shino was hiding us, just so we didn't get sucked into this shitstorm. While Hamaji was being nice and friendly, it seemed like the rest of them didn't know what to do with us. I didn't blame them for that, unexpected relatives stopping in from way out of town in the middle of a war was something of a bitch to deal with. They were uncomfortable with the fact that it seemed their family had turned a bit odd. They were all shocked, except for Yatsufusa and Fuse, that me and Wolf weren't Japanese, or at least Asian, since we were supposed to be avatars of Japanese heroes. But that also meant no one could guess who we were, either. Tamazusa was out sitting in the garden, watching the bees flit around. It was after supper, so I was surprised that she wasn't sitting with the rest of them and making plans. There seemed to be a lot more involved in this war than I thought. But I guessed that getting stuff from point A to point B wasn't as easy here as it was back home. For one thing, we really didn't have to worry about something eating the supplies before we got them. They were worrying about that here, because of some of the monsters that were running around. I 232
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knocked on the gate to the garden before I went in and asked, "You got a minute?" "I am free to talk," she agreed. "So how's it really going? How deep's the shit that we're in?" She grimaced when I said that, and I knew I had put my foot in it. "As well as can be expected," she said slowly, guilt haunting her eyes. "From the messages that have been received, the chaos has spread from the Kanto plain toward the Capital and Nara. If the fighting spreads there, then the Capitol will burn again. That hasn't happened here, just in the real world during the Onin War. "I don't doubt that some of the Southern lords have weakened their forces so that they might expand their holdings onto Honshu, which is what will leave them vulnerable to the Egyptians and the Trust. Soon others will be taking advantage of this disorder to take what they can from Nippon. "I don't doubt that Iida and his unnatural allies are doing all that they can to help them. Iida seems to be trying to capture my kuni even if his allies are of the sea; I have no idea why he is doing that. I thought that he would be trying to capture territory on either Kyushu or Shikoku." "And for those that don't have a map of Nippon memorized, what does that mean?" I asked, trying not to sound sarcastic. I'd probably be doing the same shit to her if we were in Boston, acting like everyone knew the local landmarks. Not like that was hard there, most of the time you're giving directions to people by churches and Dunkies. 233
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She shook her head and started to point at plants in the garden. "Think of the far right iris as this castle. For about five shaku to the left and down from there, the fighting has broken out—" I interrupted her. "I'm American. What the fuck is a shaku?" She laughed, thinking for a second. "It's about foot or so. Does that help?' "Thanks," I said. "I have a hard time with that metric shit too." She smiled at me and continued her explanation. "At the end of that, the last iris can be considered Kyoto, in a diagonal from where this castle stands. Between them, roughly is Edo. That is most of the middle of Nippon. The north is cut off, which isn't an issue, but the chaos is spreading upward from the south, which is bad. The section of purple iris closest to us can be the island of Shikoku, while the white iris just beyond them can be Kyushuu. Both islands are held by a number of strong lords, but I don't doubt that some of their retainers wished to become daimyo and rebelled against them or took their forces to Honshu to see what they could gain there." "Where's Iida's place in all this?" I asked. "On the edge of the garden," she explained. "See the last iris to the left? That is roughly where Tsushima is located, since the kuni is a small island off the coast of Kyushuu. I was surprised that he didn't plan his attack on one of the southern islands and not Northern Honshu and my kuni." 234
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I looked at her "map" and bit my lip, trying to think. Aside from the fact that it was on the ass end of nowhere, I didn't think that there was too much wrong with it. But being in the middle of nothing was a big thing in a Nippon that didn't have trains or even decent roads. "Which iris is your place?" I asked. She waved toward the top and left of the garden. "That group of irises there," she said. "My kuni is large and well placed. I swear that it's a joke of the kami that I am surrounded by the Hakkenshi." "I think that he went after your place because you pissed him off," I mumbled. She frowned. "You may have a point. I wasn't as receptive to his advances as he thought that I should be." "Still ain't a reason to pull the shit that he did," I muttered. "Asshole should have figured out that 'no' means 'no' a long time ago." "I fear that I discovered that Iida had an issue with that word a little late," she admitted ruefully. "Can I ask you something?" I changed the topic of conversation. I didn't think that the man went too far with either of them, but I also didn't think she wanted to talk about it. "Another pain in the ass thing." "And what might that be, Mason-san?" she asked me with a smile. Somehow, I realized she didn't think I was being a pain in the ass. I liked that. "I'm too old to move in with mom and dad." I'd found out at the end of the mess last time that I was like Keno, an avatar, one of Yatsufusa and Fuse's sons' spirit reborn 235
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generations later. In my case, it was Inumura Daikaku. "And I think that I'd drive my avatar nuts, even if he's a nice guy. Shit, probably because he's a nice guy. And I really don't want to stay here either." "And that means?" Tamazusa asked with a faint smile. "Can I move in with you?" I asked. "Shit, you can find something for me to do around the place. I ain't proud. I work for my keep." "I really don't have a place for you to move into," she pointed out. "I don't think that you're gonna sit around and not kick some ass so that you get it back. I'm willing to help you do it too," I said. "So what do you think? Got place for a guy like me in your posse?" **** Tamazusa That Mason was asking me for a home was astonishing to me. I was silent for a moment before asking, "And what do McGann and Wolf think about this?" "I haven't run it by them," he admitted. "I know that I might be blowing smoke up your skirts with this, but shit, I think that we aren't going back, 'cause it should have happened by now. And I don't know if I want to go back." "And why is that?" "I don't trust them not to fuck me over again," Mason said bluntly. "I know that you're up to your ass in alligators right now, so this is just one more thing that's being dumped on you. I'm sorry about that." 236
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"If I had thought that you were going to be trouble, I wouldn't have talked to you," I said gently. "I am very willing to continue with being your patron." "That was just to save me from that bitch Helga," Mason muttered. "Not giving me a place to live. But shit, it's that I trust you more than anyone else here." "I thank you for that," I said formally. "And I will be willing to have McGann and Wolf as part of my household also." "I'll tell them. I don't know about Wolf wanting to move in with the folks, but it seems that Dousetsu isn't a lord for some reason." That had come out last time as well: Wolf was also an avatar of one of the brothers. "So that means that there's no place for them to move into. And Wolf's going to be hooking up with McGann real soon now, or he's dumber than I thought, 'cause he's had the hots for her for a long time." "Inukai-sama and Inuyama-sama have chosen not to hold the reins of power. I feel that Inukai-sama is much like yourself, one who is not interested in the responsibility of leadership. But Inuyama-sama is a bit more responsible, just not one who is interested in ruling a kuni." I laughed for a moment, thinking about how all this began. "I fear that Fusehime has gotten her wish. I seem to be in an alliance with one of her sons." "I don't get it," Mason said, sounding totally lost. He thought that I wouldn't say yes. He actually probably hadn't thought beyond asking me for a place. "Iida-sama's interest in me seems to have started when the rumors went around that Fuse-hime was trying to arrange an alliance with me through one of her unmarried sons. It was done to explain 237
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how friendly we seemed after centuries of frigid politeness. It was an excuse so that her family could spend more time with Keno without letting outsiders guess who he really is." "You people are weird," Mason remarked, shaking his head. "You okay?" he asked, frowning faintly at me for some reason "Why wouldn't I be?" I smiled, serene and in control. On the outside at least. "'Cause the shitstorm that's happening out there, you think that it's your fault," he said bluntly. "It is." He shook head. "This Iida guy would have managed to grab someone for this, and Nippon would still be fucked. Shit, from what Logan told us, the Trustees had planned this double cross with us from the beginning. I just want to see the look on that fucker Iida's face when he realizes that he's going to get screwed by the Trustees, just like the rest of us." "But I would have my kuni," I said. "Keno... Keno would be safe. I don't want him in a war." "Why?" Mason asked. He was naturally curious and a bit confused about why Samojirou and I felt the need to shelter Keno so much. "I met his ancestor." "Most of these guys are mean fuckers," Mason said. "Anyone here, really. So what makes Keno so different?" "The Sengoku Jidai was a time of a betrayal." I spoke as if I was telling a tale of someone else, the soothing tones of a storyteller, calm and disinterested. Mason wouldn't understand that era; no one born in the modern world really 238
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could, for all they claimed that they did. It had been decades of civil war in Japan, even if the emperor hadn't been involved in the fighting. It had been a fight to see who would control him. "The land was soaked with blood as all tried to rule it. Brother betrayed brother, the capitol was in shambles, and one could rise from a lowly samurai to a lord by the strength of your arm. Satomi did so." "Who's that?" Mason asked. "The Hakkenshi's grandfather." I paused for second, trying to keep the hate that I felt for the man out of my voice. It wasn't that he had killed me, though betraying his word to me had much to do with it. It was that he had executed me as common criminal and hadn't allowed me the dignity of committing suicide, and the fact that I had truly been innocent of Aboshi's plot to murder Jin-yo. My guilt in it was that I had taken advantage of the fact that I had a patron who had been willing to keep me for my mind and not my body. So I hadn't informed anyone of the crime. It wasn't like it was an isolated happening. Nippon was drenched in blood from such things. "Fuse-hime's father, the man that broke his word to Yatsufusa-sama and myself. He had been a minor lord that rose to rule Awa. I think that it's a prefecture of Tokyo now. It was a powerful kuni then. It is part of the kuni that Yatsufusa holds now. He gained more power when his grandsons allied with him." "Fuse-hime told me a bit about that," Mason said. "That she had been dead by the time that her kids were born." "Magic is a wonderful thing," I said with a strained smile. 239
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"You know that you can tell me to stay the fuck out of your business too," Mason said unexpectedly. "But I notice that Satomi ain't here and you are. So that just shows what a shit the man was." "He was thought to be a good lord," I told him stiffly. "Even with the shit that he pulled?" Mason asked, sounding outraged. "Assholes. And speaking of that, what's the deal with Keno? How come his family seems to be getting upset when we call him by his name and not Sakura?" "Because it is not well-known that Inuzaka Keno has been found by his family. He had been missing in the Dreamlands for centuries. While you think that we call him Sakura because it amuses us, it really is to protect him. I do not want him to become the killer that his ancestor was." "Most everyone here's swung a sword and shit like that," Mason said. "Your people were all fighters in a time that meant hacking the crap out of the other guy with a sword." "Only you have such a technique," I teased, trying to lighten his mood. Mason laughed. "Wolf wasn't much better when he was goin' nuts." He sobered, though. "And you haven't answered the question." "Hamaji has a lovely strolling garden," I said abruptly. "Let's explore it." Mason looked at me strangely but must have realized that I didn't want to be overheard. He followed me out to the garden I had mentioned, before repeating his question. "Why are you worried about people finding out about Keno?" 240
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I hesitated for a moment, studying the landscape, the gardenias and the hydrangeas that were blooming. "The first Inuzaka Keno vowed when he was a child, around six or seven, to avenge his father's death. When he was seventeen, he fulfilled that vow." "Seventeen?" Mason repeated with a stunned look on his face. "How?" "He slaughtered the entire Makuwari clan in a single night. They had gathered to celebrate in their main stronghold. Inuzaka turned it into a slaughterhouse." "Why?" Mason asked, looking confused. "What had they done to him?" "Makuwari Dai, the leader of that clan, was the one who slaughtered most of Inuzaka's family. He was raised in hiding after that, in disguise really, which was the only reason that he survived, from what I pieced together." "So he kills everyone, and then what?" Mason asked. "Inuzaka discovered that he was one of the Hakkenshi," I answered. "And his grandfather took advantage of the training he had undertaken for his vow and used him as his own personal assassin." "Keno was a ninja?" Mason asked. "In a manner of speaking," I said, drifting up the path. Mason followed me, curious. "Ninja" was a term mostly used in the West in modern times. What Keno had become for his grandfather was an assassin who, by the end of the fighting, was nothing more than a doll for the man, after he had banished Aboshi. "So what was bad about that?" Mason asked. 241
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"Satomi rose to power on the backs of others," I said scathingly. "Inuzaka killed and killed for the man in the shadows for years before the war ended. He was broken by that time." "How did the war end?" Mason asked, suddenly suspicious. "What is so great about all these guys that they're here? That you're here?" "Japan didn't really know peace until the Tokugawa ruled, which was roughly a hundred years after the deaths of the Hakkenshi, after they had achieved some sort of peace, keeping the Kanto area of Japan under their control," I explained, wondering how much I could really tell him. "Whatever," Mason dismissed, not caring about the history lesson. "What I give a shit about in this is Keno." "Aboshi-sama and myself want to protect Keno from those who would try to make their reputation by fighting and killing him for being Inuzaka Keno. He would have to face challenges or worse for his entire life here. He might turn into the bitter man that he had been because of that, if it didn't kill him." "You're not going to get Wolf to believe this," Mason said seriously. He stared into the pond we stopped by. "He's gonna think that's a reason to take Keno back with us." "Keno will not go," I stated firmly. "And Wolf has to believe that or what friendship they have will be ruined." "I'll talk to him," Mason promised. "Are you doin' all right?" "I am fine," I repeated, lying through my teeth again. "And I'll believe that eventually," he said. "Shit, if you need someone to talk to, grab me. I may not know shit about what's going on, but I can be someone to talk to." 242
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"I know that," I murmured. "But I have a question for you, even if you don't want to give me an answer. When were you supposed to return to the real world?" Mason looked at me in shock before he started back to the castle at a run. I followed at a more leisurely pace. He finally knew there was something wrong. Not that Logan hadn't told him that before, but in his heart, I knew he hadn't wanted to believe it was happening to him. He was going to have to believe it now. **** Mason I was kind of confused about what Tamazusa was telling me. I knew all the players, mostly, but trying to wrap my head around the thought of Keno being a ninja killing machine was kind of hard. I couldn't picture it. I had a hard time thinking of him as an adult, never mind someone who was a cold-blooded killer. That Samojirou had fallen in love with someone like that showed me that the man was either bugfuck insane or someone who tried to save kittens from being drowned. Or both. I was going with both. But what was bothering me was the last thing Tamazusa had mentioned: when we were supposed to get back to the Trustees. Tell the truth, I hadn't really been paying attention to the time. But thinking about it and counting the days on my fingers and toes—don't fucking laugh—I figured out that we had been there eighteen days. I was stunned, but that might be why Wolf was looking so pissed. Things weren't working like they told him that they were supposed to. Big 243
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surprise there. So I'm racing back to figure out what the fuck up was and who do I run into but Samojirou. My luck was sucking at the moment. "I want to thank you for caring for my lord and my consort," Samojirou said formally. I looked at him and thought about what Tamazusa and I had been talking about. "Um... she did all the work. And Keno can take care of himself, but you knew that." "He can now," Samojirou said, polite but with this look in his eye. He was pissed about something. Crap, he probably thought I had taken advantage of Tamazusa in the Northlands. Shit, I wasn't that stupid on my worst day "And where is he?" I asked, trying to distract him. I knew that he'd kill me and not give it a second thought. Keno was the only thing that stopped him from doing that. And I was going have to thank him for that real soon. "Sleeping," Samojirou said. "I have a matter to discuss with my lord, and I was informed that she was with you." I got uncomfortable when I realized Keno was probably passed out after being nailed to the floor a couple of times. I had been told how the two of them had been looking at each other, and I didn't know what had stopped them from jumping each other right then and there when Samojirou had shown up. I was surprised Samojirou had been able to tear himself away from Keno long enough to check on Tamazusa. "She's in the strolling garden. She wanted to talk to me out there." 244
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"That's interesting," Samojirou said, looking like he had just swallowed something bitter. He was really pissed, and I didn't think Keno would be able to save my ass unless I explained shit to him. I shrugged, trying to act casual, hoping my explanation didn't piss him off more. "I was offering her someone to either bitch at or cry on." "So you seek to be her counselor?" Samojirou asked, not sounding very happy. I shook my head. "Shit no. But you and Keno are off with each other, and I noticed that she doesn't seem to have too many friends here." I waited a second before adding, "And she was nice enough to explain things to me. What a shit that Satomi asshole was." "You are talking about Keno's grandfather," Samojirou cautioned with a smile. I guessed he realized I wasn't after his job. Shit, I wasn't going to tell him that if I was working for Tamazusa, I'd be her court jester or something like that, 'cause he'd find it too fucking funny. Tamazusa liked me, but she also knew I was the worst person to give her any sort of advice. "And you know what? He's still an asshole. Fuck, Yatsufusa didn't deserve that shit from him, either, about Fuse-hime," I said. "You are not disgusted with their relationship?" Samojirou asked slyly. "I don't want to know about you and Keno, not because of who you are, but because he's always gonna be fifteen to me, so I can ignore what those two are doing in their spare time 245
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too," I told him. I actually hadn't really thought about it. And I wasn't going to start to, either. Some shit I wasn't meant to know about, and that was one of them. "But I need to talk to Wolf about something, so I got to run." Samojirou practically hissed. "Wolf...." "I'll keep him off your ass," I promised. "I don't know if I should be overjoyed or frightened at that statement," Samojirou muttered. I laughed. I knew we wouldn't be drinking buddies, but he was good for Keno, so I wouldn't give him too much shit. **** When I got back to the rooms Hamaji had given us, I wasn't surprised to see Wolf and McGann having tea together in the living room. Me, Wolf, and Tholf had one room, Helga and McGann were sharing another, and we had a third room as some sort of living room. I stopped at the edge of the porch and was proud that I remembered to take my shoes off before I walked in on them. "So when were you going to tell me?" I asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. I didn't know where either Tholf or Helga was and didn't care. This was something we couldn't really hide from them. Both of them looked at me, but at least neither one of them did the "Tell you what?" routine. And they both looked a little guilty, so I was okay with that. They weren't being assholes about it; it was just like with McGann and the pregnancy thing, there really hadn't been a time or place to tell me about this, just like the fact I still hadn't told Wolf 246
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about Logan's confession. I guessed this was the time that I had to do it, even if I really didn't want to tell him. Logan had been right: Wolf was a good man. Good men don't expect to be backstabbed by their boss, even in our line of business. And there was the small fact that if those assholes were willing to do this to us, I didn't think that they'd hesitate throwing an old man like Wolf's grandfather under a bus or something, either, to make sure he didn't ask questions, even if he was a Trustee. He probably was going apeshit wondering what the other Trustees were pulling with his grandson. I wondered for a second if Mrs. Adams was in on this or if they had gotten rid of her too. "I think that I was willing to let you figure it out on your own," McGann admitted calmly. "There was a lot that was going on, and it could have been a simple miscalculation." "After a while, getting back wasn't something I was going to worry about," Wolf said. "I was worried about it happening on the ship. But once we got to land... then I realized it wasn't working for some reason. By then, there really wasn't anyplace I felt comfortable telling you what had happened." "Tamazusa was the one that had to point it out to me," I said, just realizing that we could have screwed the others badly by disappearing in the middle of the ocean. That was the only saving grace in this entire mess. Seven people hadn't been really enough to sail that ship, four would have been a disaster. And I didn't trust Helga not to try something stupid to either Keno or Tamazusa, like push them out of the boat. "I'm such a dumb fuck that I didn't notice that the hoodoo wasn't working like it should." 247
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"Mason, you aren't dumb," Wolf told me, trying not to sound too pissed, since he hated when I talked like that about myself. "You don't always think, but you aren't stupid. You had your hands full playing mother hen to Tamazusa-sama and Keno." "So when was the recall supposed to happen?" I asked. "About twelve days ago," Wolf said. "I gave it a couple of more days, just in case something happened to the time when we crossed the barrier between territories. When the recall didn't happen, I talked to Caitlynn about it." "So your pillow talk wasn't just sweet nothings," I said sarcastically. Well, mine hadn't been, either, since I stuck close to Tamazusa to protect myself from Helga. Wolf practically blushed like a schoolgirl when I said that. McGann gave me a look that promised me we were going to have a very long talk about that comment. I bet she was also going to give me shit about how I'd been acting with Tamazusa too. She could if she wanted to, because she really wasn't my boss anymore. As weird as it sounded, I was thinking about Tamazusa like that now. Wasn't that a weird and scary thought. "And what did the two of you figure out?" I asked, trying not to sound too pissed off. I didn't care that I wasn't in on the decision-making process, I just was pissed that they hadn't told me what the decision was yet. But I couldn't throw stones, since I was hiding information from them too. "Aside from the fact that we're up shit creek without a boat, never mind a paddle." 248
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"I think that would be true if we had stayed in the Northern territories," McGann said, smiling slightly at my language. "However, here in Nippon, both you and Wolf have allies. I don't doubt that you will be protected by Fuse-hime since you seem to be avatars of her sons. Why you're both in the Dreamlands is something I'm going to leave to wiser heads to figure out." "I don't think you're going to be left out in the cold," I said. "You didn't do anything to piss them off. That was Murphy and the motherfuckin' Trustees." Not to mention Wolf would do anything he could to protect her. And I wouldn't be too far behind him. McGann needed protecting, even as strong as she was, because working for the Trust hadn't burned all the niceness out of her, even with the shit that had gone down with Keno. "I wasn't innocent in that, no matter what you want to think," McGann said, like she was reading my mind. Oh, wait, she could. "And then there was my treatment of Keno. I should have done more to protect him, and I didn't, as Tamazusa-sama pointed out to me." "We're as guilty as you are," Wolf told her quietly. "I should have done something more for him. I should have gotten my grandfather involved. He shouldn't have had to live like he did. We all should be held accountable for what has happened to him." We were all silent for a couple of minutes. I didn't miss the fact that Wolf had gotten closer to McGann, close enough to touch her almost. He'd protect her. 249
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So the next thing we had to worry about was what to do since we were stuck here. "Well, what's the game plan?" I finally asked. "Fuck, there must be one, because you guys are good at shit like that." Wolf looked at McGann and then me. "I don't know. Honestly, I had hoped that things would be different here." "We are stuck in a friggin' war zone, but it's still better than what we would be going back to," I said roughly, although I already thought we weren't going back. I didn't think that going back was worth killing someone. And while Tamazusa had been able to walk into our place any damn time that she wanted, she had lost that trick with her kuni. Even when she got her place back, even if she kept that trick, I didn't know if I wanted to go back. Maybe I'd get bored here in a year or two, but unlike Wolf and McGann, there was no one for me to go home to in the real world. "What are you talking about?" Wolf demanded, sounding pissed off and worried at the same time. "Those assholes were willing to send McGann on this trip, ignoring the fact that I told them how nasty it could get for her," I said. He nodded, looking relieved that I hadn't been more blunt about what I thought was nasty. "And I think a couple of them were giving her shit about not saving Fairinox's or Collins's asses. Plus, they were going to make her life miserable for a couple of other reasons, right?" McGann nodded, not willing to say anything. I wasn't surprised to see Wolf reach out and pat her hand after that, since she looked like she wanted to cry. 250
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"And Wolf, you were stuck at the nuthouse, dealing with people you worked with at one time," I told him. "I don't think that you were liking it there. I don't think that the shrink there was doing shit for you, either. And I was doing desk duty at Fall River, which was a bitch of a commute. Plus, I know Murphy was going to try and nail my ass, and not in a good way. So while this place ain't where we're supposed to be, it doesn't suck." We were all silent for a couple of minutes. "And there's a couple of things I have to tell you about," I said at last, hoping that the last shit had sunk in on them. "The first one is that Tamazusa is willing to have us stay at her place, when she gets it back. If you don't want to do that, I bet that any of the rest of them would be willing to have you. That's the good news." "And the bad news?" McGann asked. "It's one of those types of things that I should have told you earlier about," I said. Wolf shook his head, and I swear that McGann rolled her eyes. "You have to stop doing that," Wolf said. "Where's Helga the Horrible and Tholf?" I asked instead of giving them an answer. Yeah, keeping shit like this from my team leader was stupid, but letting outsiders know your own people were screwing you was bad too. McGann gave me a look that told me she knew why I was keeping secrets, before saying slowly, "Tholf is with a squad of Tamazusa-sama's men, Seki-san's squad. Helga is with Fuse-hime." "Fuse-hime's gonna keep her in line," I said. 251
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I meant it, too. Helga had realized she didn't have any allies here or anyone who would put up with her shit. Tamazusa probably was willing to kick her ass into line, but she had her hands full right now. Hamaji was just too nice, and of all the other women I saw wandering about this place, no one seemed to be interested in dealing with Helga, besides the fact they mostly seemed to be maids and people like that. Fuse had taken her on, and Helga had been too stupid to realize she was going to lose to the woman even before she started anything. I wondered if Helga even knew who Fuse was, besides the woman who was going to make her life miserable until she got her shit together. Fuck, I was going to call Fuse "Mom" a couple of times just to make Helga's brain melt. "The reason that I didn't tell you this earlier is because I didn't want those two to find out about it," I said. "Shit, you know that I don't keep secrets or play games for shits and giggles. And while you don't want to hear it, which was probably the reason that Tamazusa didn't tell us what trouble she was in." "Keno should have," Wolf said. "Keno didn't want to tell us, because he couldn't trust us," I said evenly. "He was trapped in what he thought was enemy territory, with someone he thinks of as family, and he didn't know if you were going to hoodoo him back to a place he hates once you knew Tamazusa wasn't going to be able to steal him back. Taking his ass home isn't something that's ever going to happen. The kid not only burned his bridges with that little stunt he pulled with the computers, he blew 252
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them up and pissed on the ashes. Taking him back, if we even ever get back, would be a stupider idea than kidnapping him the first place." Wolf had a thoughtful look on his face. Maybe he'd just realized what a stupid shit move taking Keno back with us would be, besides the fact that Tamazusa would just pop up and take him back again without breaking a sweat and maybe kill anyone who got in her way, when she got her kuni thingie back. The man wasn't dumb. Wolf just thought that getting Keno out of here was the best thing for him. Maybe now he'd realize it wasn't. Hell, getting us out of here wasn't a good thing either. "What did you want to tell us?" McGann asked patiently. She knew this shit, but didn't think she knew Wolf had to hear it a couple of times before he would believe it. "That we were getting screwed by the Trustees and we didn't even know it," I said. Wolf got this stubborn look on his face, while McGann looked sick, but interested. I wondered what they had been threatening her with. And shit, maybe the pregnancy thing was something she had to worry about. While I didn't know how the birds and the bees worked with demons, I had figured out how it worked with psychics. You needed at least one of them as the parent, with either the other parent having a strong latent talent, or even better, both parents being psychics. I wondered if that was what the Trustees had been telling McGann: that they had decided it was time she started knitting baby booties for them. Fuck! 253
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"We weren't supposed to get back," I said. "Not from what Logan told us." "Us?" Wolf asked. "Me and Tamazusa," I explained. "And before you get pissed. There wasn't a place that I could tell either one of you this. That boat had shit for privacy, and this wasn't something that I wanted Helga or Tholf to know about." "I understand that," Wolf said. "But why wait until now to tell us?" "'Cause this shit didn't seem true until the hoodoo stopped working," I said. "And this shit still doesn't seem real to me, either." "What is it?" McGann asked. "Logan wasn't Logan's real name," I blurted out. "He wasn't an expert on Mayan anything. That whoever was casting that shitty spell aimed it in the wrong direction on purpose." "Why?" Wolf demanded. "Because we all pissed off the Powers that Be," I said harshly. "Fuck, it wasn't like he really had a chance to tell us a lot." "Why do you believe him?" McGann continued. "Because the guy was dying," I said. "And I don't think that anyone would lie though their teeth to the guy who was trying to save his ass, even if I couldn't do shit. Fuck, he knew that there wasn't a chance. The bastard had opened up his leg, and even sticking my fucking hand in the wound didn't stop the bleeding." "But why tell you at all?" Wolf asked. 254
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"Because of you," I said bluntly. "He thought that you were a good man. Fuck, he was right, even if we do shitty things in our line of work. But there's another faction of Trustees that want to turn this place into their own little fiefdom. I believe him, after some of the fucking stories I heard about a couple of Global International Ops." "My grandfather..." Wolf started, apparently ignoring the last part, even as McGann nodded her head in agreement with me. She had probably heard the same rumors I had. "Is probably in the dark, like we were," I told him. "I think that Mrs. Adams don't know shit, either, as much as I hate to say it. If she did, I'm pissed that I fell for the nice little old lady act." "So the Southerners that the others mention?" Wolf said. "The Egyptians," I answered. "That was what Logan said they were. And some of our Trustees are using them to take over Nippon. Iida wasn't part of that mess. He's just adding to the shitstorm on his own. But the Trust, or part of it, is bankrolling the Egyptians so that they can get a summer place on Mt. Fuji or whatever those fuckers are after. And we both know that after that happens, the Egyptians are going to be screwed by the Trustees. Collins had a lot of friends, according to Logan." "What was his real name?" McGann asked. "Did he manage to tell you?" "I forget," I said sheepishly. "Tamazusa would know. She fucking promised him that she'd pray for him or something like that." "And why should we believe her?" Wolf demanded. 255
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"Since she bothered to save Keno," McGann said tiredly. "I know that you don't like the woman, but she isn't the monster that you want her to be." "She's not a woman," Wolf snarled. "She is," I insisted. Shit, from what she told me, she could have been an asshole for the rest of her life or whatever it was she had here. "And she could have killed us all that first night that we were at her place. She didn't. And you know what? You don't have to like the lady, but you should respect her." "She get to you, Mason?" Wolf demanded. "This place got to me," I said, raising my voice. "Shit, most of the people that we know here are mean fuckers. But you know what? None of these people would stab us in the back. I can't say the same about the assholes that are running my life. Fuck, anything here would be better than dealing with the shit that they handed out to us. They didn't just split us up; they told me that we could never see each other again. Did they pull that same shit on you, or did you think that I was just being an asshole?" McGann frowned. "Why?" "Shit, I don't know," I muttered. "I had thought that was something that Murphy was pulling, but I didn't think so after a week or two. And we all know our reports were scrubbed so that those fuckers didn't know anything about us being avatars or whatever me and Wolf are supposed to be. I made sure the tapes in the infirmary got 'ruined' too." "You're the one that did that!" McGann exclaimed. "I thought that it was Keno when I went to do that." 256
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I grinned at her. I hadn't thought she'd had it in her, but I would have bet she had done it more to cover Wolf's ass than mine. "I wondered why no one called us on that," Wolf muttered. "Or why I wasn't asked about that in my sessions." McGann frowned. "Did you have counseling, Mason?" she asked. I shrugged. "I skipped out on my sessions. I think that was the reason they gave when they pulled me from the field rotation. I think that they were full of shit." "I know that," she murmured, looking scared and pissed at the same time. "I should have thought that would happen." "That what would happen?" I asked. "Mason...." She stopped, looking guilty and frustrated. I nodded, suddenly getting the picture. We really couldn't have hidden that information. Not with the company having telepaths in its ranks. They didn't have a lot of them, but you didn't need a lot. You just needed them to be good. So even if we didn't tell them about the fact that we're avatars, they'd find out anyways. While 'paths weren't supposed to rummage around people's heads without permission, if they were ordered to, they would. And since we had managed to piss off a bunch of Trustees, one of them would have ordered a 'path to poke around in our heads. The best time for that was in a shrink session, when we were supposed to be spilling our guts to these people anyways. After ordering a full out war, a little violation of our privacy was nothing to those fuckers. We just had to figure out who they were. And from the look in Wolf's 257
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eyes, I hoped like fucking hell that one of them wasn't his grandfather. That would kill him. **** Samojirou Running into Mason wasn't something I'd wanted. I had to admit I was a little upset that he seemed so... friendly wasn't the correct word to use, but informal might have done better as a description. At least he was properly wary around me. After a short conversation, we went our separate ways. I found Tamazusa at the edge of Hamaji's strolling garden, staring at the bell flowers and the plantation lilies that clustered around the edges of the walkway. To most people, it would appear that she was admiring the blooms. I knew she was doing that as well as plotting her next move in the Game. While she had suffered a shocking setback, I knew she wasn't finished playing. "I just had a most interesting conversation with Masonsan," she said absentmindedly. "I have also talked to the man," I told her. "He—" "Mason Kairns is a decent man, for all that he would deny it," she said. I frowned, wondering where that had come from. She laughed lightly when she saw the look on my face. "Aboshi, the man was kind enough to be my protector, mainly because he thought that he needed to be when Keno-chan and I had washed ashore and were forced to take shelter. I assure you that the Northern barbarians are worse than we ever imagined." She shuddered. "The smell was dreadful, there 258
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was no tea, and a hot bath was something they had never heard of. It was disgusting. They are almost dirtier than Eta." "So Keno-chan has told me," I said. She nodded and started walking farther into the garden. I followed her, curious about what she wanted to tell me. We had gone almost to the center when she spoke. "Mason-san knows the truth of what kind of man Keno-chan's ancestor was." "Was it safe to tell him such things?" I asked. "Safer than to tell Wolf-san," she assured me. "Mason-san knows the legend of the Hakkenshi now." "So he has told me, in his own unique way," I said with a smile. "And I do apologize for neglecting you." "You haven't," she assured me briskly. "Mason-san just has gotten into the habit of looking after me." "Keno-chan mentioned that you had to sleep with him," I said delicately. I didn't think the man had taken advantage of her, since he would have been dead then, by either her hand or Keno's. "He was even a gentleman," she said softly with a strange look in her eyes. "He made something that could have been very awkward less annoying." "You are fond of him," I said after a moment of thinking about what she had and hadn't said. She looked up at me in surprise. "I think that I am." She smiled sadly. "But I doubt that I would ever be as fond of anyone as you are of your blossom." "A pet, then?" I asked. 259
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She shook her head. "A friend, as odd as that seems. But for all his lack of manners, he does have an odd charm. He is willing to understand, which is a lot more than many others would try to do." "He does seem to be the most open-minded of the outsiders," I agreed. She smiled at me. "And now I must beg your pardon for what you went through when you thought that Keno-chan and I were dead." "I grieved for both of you," I told her softly. "My rage and my grief were for both of you." "I know," she said softly, reaching out to brush my cheek. "And we both grieved for the pain that we knew that you were going through." "I don't remember much of it," I told her truthfully. I didn't. There was nothing besides anger and the hurt. "And I am so glad that no one here has bothered with an 'I told you so'," she said. "There is no reason to do so," I said. "While I also didn't trust Iida or his offer, it was for very selfish reasons. I simply thought that the man wasn't good enough for you." She looked at me and laughed. It wasn't the practiced trill she had used for centuries to show that she was amused; this was something honest, something very human. I liked it. "You do sound like my older brother more than my councilor," she said, smiling broadly. "Mawatari-san was right about that. And I'm so happy, and so sad that he wasn't right about anything else. You could have claimed my kuni, and all this could have been avoided." 260
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"I doubt that," I said slowly, thinking about it. "A kuni is the reflection of one who it is joined with. My land would have been a terrible and empty place because neither you or Kenochan would have been there with me. And that might have been worse than what is happening now." "Nippon is embroiled in chaos, posed both on the brink of a civil war and an invasion from the Southerners," she said passionately. "And I don't doubt that there will be others who come to see what they can pick from the ruins." We both looked up when one of Inusuka's pages came running toward us. His eyes were wild, and we could tell he had heard something that had caused him a great shock. He stopped in front of us, panting slightly, his eyes wide and panicky. "Kyushu has fallen to the Southerners." [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Eleven Keno We all gathered in Shino's war room. I didn't know what else to call it. There was a table that looked like it was set up for some sort of wargaming, and we sat in the other half of the room. "We" was all my brothers, whom Samojirou had shadow walked so that they could be here, Tamazusa, Samojirou, Wolf, Mason, and McGann, along with my father Yatsufusa. The scary thing was that he didn't really look like a dog anymore. You could tell that he was one, but he looked more like the Wolfman than his usual self. He was dressed in a dark brown kimono and hakama, sitting comfortably with the rest of us. Everyone looked a little stunned by his change, and I didn't think my brothers knew Yatsufusa could do something like this. "Kyushu has fallen," Shino announced. We all knew it. It was just that most of my brothers looked a little stunned at the news still. "And that means that Tamazusa-sama must regain control of her kuni as soon as possible and drive Iida from it!" He took a deep breath. "And that also means that I wish to send Hamaji and Mother to Edo for their own safety." "I will go with them," Genpachi said. He shrugged. "I'm not a lord. And I want to see what the rumors are in Yoshiwara and the rest of Edo." "I wager you do," Shinbee sniggered. I wasn't surprised that Konbungo hit him on the back of his head for saying that. 262
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"Will it be acceptable to send Wolf and his companions to Edo with them as part of their protection?" Tamazusa asked. "They are competent fighters, but not familiar with our ways. As well as Tholf and Helga for the same reason, besides the fact that Helga seems to be a protege of Fuse-hime at the moment." Wolf looked a little confused. "We have betrayed you in the past," he protested. "Why are we here? Why are you willing to trust us now?" Shino glanced around the room before replying. "My brother has always spoken highly of you, that you all had treated him honorably during his captivity. Our mother has said the same thing of her time in the real world with you. It is obvious to us that you have been betrayed by your own people. Tamazusa-sama has taken you into her household, and she is no fool. We all feel that you will add to our councils, which is why you are here." "I do not know if I can accept that trust," Wolf said. "These people, they may use my own family against me. I do not know if I can honor your trust if that happens." Shino nodded. "We understand that." Mason shifted, looking a little restless, even though the entire conversation had been in English for his benefit. "Let's get it straight," he said. "Wolf's the competent fighter. I barely know much beyond 'pointy end at enemy'. I'll take care of your Hamaji-sama and Fuse-hime, but I ain't no legendary hero or some sh—something like that." "Your honestly is refreshing," Sousuke said with a smile. 263
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"And I assure you that I am no fierce fighter either," Daikaku said with a smile. Mason looked confused for a moment before he must have remembered that Daikaku was his avatar. He grinned. "I hate to tell you this, but I'm better with a knife than a sword. But I mean it, I'll look after them." Shinbee opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. "Smart move, kid," Mason said. "Mouthing off ain't always a good thing, trust me." "I also think sending Keno with them would be a good idea," Samojirou said. I was a little stunned. We really hadn't talked about it. We hadn't talked about much at all when we were alone. I knew there was no place for me in Tamazusa's Hatamoto or anyone else's. While a Hatamoto was a household organization, that was only in peacetime. During the time of war, the Hatamoto were the men you needed to organize your troops, your supplies, and your support staff. Tamazusa's samurai had all worked with her for centuries, so I wasn't going to replace any of them. In fact, I was kind of surprised that none of her samurai had decided they wanted to go independent when she lost her power. I had a sneaking suspicion that Okita and a handful of others were powerful enough to rule their own kuni. Not as strong as Tamazusa, but powerful enough. Plus, she'd not lost any of the daimyo who owed her fealty, either. I didn't know if she had been lucky or if she was that good a lord. 264
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"Keno?" Shino asked, correctly interpreting my confused look. Both Sousuke and Shinbee glared at Samojirou. He stared back at them coolly. He had made his decision, and they would accept it. I just had to accept that decision also. And my question to myself was: did I want to? I had never argued with him about his decisions before, but it sort of bothered me that he had made this one without asking me about it, even though it was the right one and we both knew it. I didn't think I could go into battle with them, and I knew they knew that also. My one battle on that beach showed me that I wasn't a warrior. I couldn't kill someone. I was too scared that I'd start and never stop. Plus Tamazusa and I had talked about it after that fight on the beach. I wasn't going to battle with her, so why should Aboshi's announcement surprise me? The silence was uncomfortable as everyone waited for my answer. "I think that it would be logical if Sakura were to be sent to Edo with the rest of the noncombatants," I said slowly, knowing I had to say something. Samojirou silently let out the breath he had been holding. He had to realize by my silence that he had stepped over the line. We would talk about that later. But I had a sneaking suspicion Hamaji didn't know she was being sent away. Mother probably told Father that Hamaji was going, and that was it. But it was a smart decision. Iida had some connection with the sea, and Awa was a peninsula. Edo would be much more secure for us than Shino's castle, and from what I had learned in the Dreamlands, Edo was considered neutral 265
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territory, where one could send their women and children in times of trouble, as rare as that was. While it was not the power it had been under Tokugawa or later as the new capital, there was lively trade with the Northerners and some of the countries to our east. Daikaku's wife was already there. Tamazusa nodded. "I hadn't thought of that, Keno-chan. A wise move to make. I don't think it would be a good idea for Inuzaka Keno to be anywhere near the fighting. Too many people would be distracted." "That would be true," Dousetsu added thoughtfully when Sousuke opened his mouth to argue with Tamazusa. A look from Shino silenced him, and I wondered again what they were hiding from me. But then, they might not know what Samojirou was hiding from me either. "There is much that the lords of Honshu and Shikoku have to worry about without that." With that line, I guessed that Dousetsu knew my ancestor's secret, even if the others didn't. And it sounded like it was something nasty to make the daimyo react that badly to my name. "Then we are agreed?" Tamazusa asked rhetorically. "I will go back to my kuni to reclaim it. After that, we will bring the fight to the Southerners and drive them from our land." "Sazuki-sama and his retainers are dead," Shino said. "As well as any of the other daimyo who were on Kyushu and most of their families. Their troops are scattered, but some of them, as well as the fisher folk, managed to get to Honshu or Shikoku." 266
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I bowed my head, remembering Sazuki from the beginning of the cherry blossom festivals. I hoped that his wife and his companion were safe at least. "And half of those that lived in Kyushu are reported to be dead also," Yatsufusa added. I wasn't surprised to hear that his actual voice was a deep growl. "There are rumors that there was something in the wind that killed them." Wolf frowned. "That could be anything," he said slowly, but it looked to me that he was trying not to get angry. That someone had used chemical warfare here made him scarily angry, because he was so controlled about it. And chemical warfare would be about the only thing that would cause that much damage. "There are a number of toxins that have been used in the past to do such things, but I don't know what they could be." "You know that those fuckers don't believe in the Geneva Convention," Mason said, abandoning any attempt to watch his language. "It could have been fucking anything." "Not something that would stay around," McGann said with a thoughtful look on her face. She was used to how he talked. I just had the stray thought that Mason had been trying to behave in front of Tamazusa-sama. That felt odd to me, and I made a mental note to talk about it later with him. "And how could it be introduced into the environment? Most of those toxins were delivered through some sort of artillery shell, something that doesn't really work here." "Trebuchet or some sort of siege engine," Wolf said. "All you need is a package that would shatter upon impact and a good wind in the right direction." 267
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"And a crew that had shit for brains to deal with that crap," Mason added sarcastically. "Fuck, if they're going this route, then we're screwed, because these fuckers are insane. How many people did they kill?" "Probably hundreds, if not more," Shino said quietly. "I think that they might have done so to get rid of the monsters that were there more so than the population," McGann said. "But it isn't a good sign. These people have shown that they are more ruthless than I want to even think about." "These fuckers want slaves as well as real estate," Mason said. "Why do this shit?" "The Egyptians and others want growing room," Wolf said, his fists clenched at his sides. He looked like he wanted to punch out a wall but was too polite to do it. "Plus, doing something like this will clear out your foothold real fast. They need a base of operations quickly, so I think that they're willing to clean it out fast and dirty. I don't think they'll do something like this with the rest of Nippon. That is going to be mostly combat, unless they think of Okinawa." I was glad Wolf wasn't mentioning the Allies dropping nuclear bombs on my homeland to get them to stop fighting, because Okinawa showed them that we were never going to surrender to them unless they did that. I didn't know if he was being polite or just remembering that the Allies had bombed his country too. "They're fucking pulling a Congo here," Mason snarled, ignoring what Wolf was trying to imply. Or it might have been that he didn't get the references. Mason would be the first to 268
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admit that he didn't know much history, but I would have thought that he would know those references, as opposed to the Battle of Nagashino or Kawanakajima. I had no idea what he was referring to with that comment about the Congo. "You know that and I know that. And soon they're gonna dump a shitload of their mercs here to finish the job, because remember what's the other company that these assholes have access to. You willing to deal with them?" "I assure you that we are not innocent babes in the woods," Daikaku said. "We are the Hakkenshi, the beasts that—" "—I cursed you to be," Tamazusa whispered, blinking her eyes rapidly. "You are the result of the hate that your grandfather caused me to feel. You are innocents in this." "Does that mean that I get to call you grandmother?" Genpachi asked her seriously, after a long moment, breaking the tension in the room. I just knew that Shinbee had wanted to say something nasty to Tamazusa, but one glare from Konbungo stopped that, along with a preemptive strike on the back of his head. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," Mason muttered, before adding in a louder voice. "But shit, these fuckers will be pulling shit that was invented after you guys were around. And what about your troops? Does this shit affect them? If those fuckers slaughter your armies, how the fuck do you people get replacements?" "For now, we can all absorb the ronin who have survived," Shino said. 269
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He wasn't going to answer Mason, and I didn't want him to. I knew that when you died here in the Dreamlands, it was permanent. That was one of the reasons Nippon had been at peace for so long. The other was that anyone who wanted to work out their aggressions could do so by hunting the monsters that roamed the lands. But I was curious about how one became a citizen of the Dreamlands. Helga wasn't someone who was noble, and Tholf was a man who seemed to want nothing more than a good fight. "We need to move out in the morning," Shino said. "Sousuke and I can escort you to the edge of your kuni, Tamazusa-sama, but you know that you must go on alone from there." "At least with only myself and a guard of her samurai," Samojirou said smoothly. "She will not be unescorted during this. While I trust my lord and her strength, I do not trust Iida." "Do you think that Aboshi would let me go alone?" Tamazusa asked with a smile. "And he was with me the first time that I claimed my kuni. He is as much a part of it as I am." Shino nodded, accepting her decision. I realized that I would have very little time with my lover, and we were going to be wasting part of that with an argument. **** Mason The meeting broke up soon after Samojirou decided to accompany Tamazusa to her kuni. I felt better knowing that 270
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he was going with her, but Wolf still was looking like he wanted to rip someone a new one. He was muttering to himself in German, one word over and over again, "Lebensraum." "Wolf, this isn't your fault," McGann finally told him. "They are using gas attacks on innocent people," Wolf practically snarled at her. "It could be anything!" "It could be," she said softly. "You want to know what my grandmother teaches?" Wolf demanded. "What?" I asked him when McGann didn't open her mouth. She probably knew, but she wanted me to be the straight man for this. "History," he said. "Germany during the thirties and forties, to be exact. Not too popular a topic when she started her career, which was shortly after the war was over." "Fuck," was the only thing that came to mind. "But, shit, ain't she Norwegian or Swedish?" "Norwegian," Wolf said. "And my grandfather's German." I knew that. And I knew that his grandparents raised him after his father had killed himself and Wolf's mother in a drunk-driving accident. The only thing that had saved him was that he had been with his grandparents for the summer. "I don't get it," I told him. I really didn't. I knew I should have, that I was missing what was pissing him off about this, aside from the fact that he was a nice guy and didn't understand people who killed a shitload of people for kicks over some stupid land. And I hoped he never did. "Tell me." 271
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"My grandfather was in the army when he was younger, but then, everyone was at that time." It clicked then that he was telling me that his grandfather had been a Nazi. That surprised me for some reason. And you know what the surprise was to me? It was that his grandparents were so old. I did some quick math and realized that his grandfather was in his eighties, at the least. "So he had to work for that asshole. I don't blame him for that," I said. "My grandfather believed in the cause," Wolf said. "Trust me," I told him with a chuckle, "kids are stupid at that age." "It isn't funny!" Wolf barked. "He saw what happened then. My grandmother was very unpopular because of what she did, but it taught me that you can't forget what happened even if no one wanted you to remember it. My grandfather always admitted what he had been, even if it wasn't the wisest thing to do. So how can the Trustees do something like this? How can they kill people with poisons that make most of our world cringe in horror to hear about them?" "Because the fuckers don't give a fuck," I said. "Shit, how many people do you think they killed to get their fucking army here?" "What do you mean?" Wolf asked. That scared me. He sounded too calm. McGann's eyes widened, and she looked at him in shock. "You didn't know," she whispered. "I thought that...." "Know what?" Wolf asked. 272
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I just tried to figure out what it was he wouldn't know, and after a couple of frantic seconds of thinking—or actually just listening to my brain gibber—I realized the only thing she could be referring to was the hoodoo that got us here. "You really didn't believe me when I said that someone got carved up for us to get here?" I asked after my own stunned silence. "I don't understand," Wolf said. McGann frowned and looked at me. "I think that—" "Shit!" I knew what she was hinting at. She thought someone had tweaked his brain a bit. I hadn't known you could do that to someone. But thinking back, that might have been why Wolf looked like shit when I saw him in Mrs. Adams's office. That asshole over at Waltham must have been doing a number on him in more ways than one. "What's wrong with you two?" Wolf asked us. "I'll tell him," McGann said. I shook my head, "I'll do it. Good thing that I skipped out on those stupid shrink sessions." "Tell me what?" Wolf demanded. "What do you remember about our first time here?" I asked him. "We were captured by Tamazusa," Wolf said slowly. "But... but why don't I remember that clearly?" "Because someone has been examining your memories," McGann said gently. "And I don't think that they were either doing a good job or were too careful about what they were doing when they were doing it." 273
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"That's impossible!" Wolf exclaimed. "I'd remember something like that!" "What do you remember about your sessions with the psychiatrist in Waltham?" she asked calmly. Wolf frowned, thinking hard from the expression on his face. "I don't like him." "And why is that?" she asked, almost coaxing the information out. "I don't feel any better, and I always have a headache after I see him, even if I can't remember what we talked about. I always felt like it was my fault that Keno was gone. That I didn't know that he had a crush on me. Things like that." McGann frowned. "I don't know what they were doing to you exactly, but I think that they intensified some of the issues that you were having." "How could they do that?" Wolf asked. "Without me knowing what they were doing? Wouldn't I remember if they were doing something like that to me?" "Telepathy," I said. "Hoodoo, but not really." "That isn't a good explanation," McGann objected, trying not to frown. "Shit, that's the best that you're going to get from me," I told her. "I don't believe you," Wolf said. "Why would someone do something like that to me?" "Because Mason didn't cooperate with them, and I have defenses against that kind of meddling. Being a psychic isn't 274
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as easy as they make it look in the comics and in bad sci fi movies. I know that from experience." "I can believe Mason not cooperating with anyone, but I don't believe that there is any such thing as psychic powers," Wolf said firmly. McGann bit her lip when he said that. I was just glad he stopped looking like he was going to punch out the next person who said hello to him. But I was going to bust his bubble about the psychic stuff, because McGann didn't look like she was going to. I just hoped she didn't bite though her lip or something stupid like that, because it looked like she was that upset about his tone of voice. Or maybe she was worried about what he would think about her once he knew what she was. Or what she had probably done. "Psychic powers ain't bullshit," I said. "Just like hoodoo ain't. You believe in hoodoo. That's the shit that got us here." "I do," Wolf said cautiously. "So that psychic shit is real too. They just don't run around in silly robes or get to move shit about with a wave of their hand. They also can't tell you 'these aren't the droids that you're looking for' and have you just waved though like it was nothing. The psis actually have normal dull and stupid jobs like the rest of us," I said before I dropped the bomb on him. "I know this shit, because I know that McGann is psychic." "Why didn't I know that you'd use Star Wars references to try and explain things," McGann said with a tired smile. Wolf just stared at her. I didn't blame him; it was a bit of a shock when you found this shit out. I had found it by accident, and it hadn't been pretty. 275
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"Why else do you think that nice of a lady would work for such a shitty organization as the Trust?" I asked. "She did because they had something on her. That thing was that she was psychic." "You make it sound like they forced me to do so," McGann said. But I noticed she wasn't laughing. "More like the fucking Mafia," I said. "They made you an offer you couldn't refuse." "Nothing that drastic," she told me, getting the movie reference, since it was a classic. "But it was made quite clear by the one who recruited me that it was in my best interests to say yes. No matter what was required of me." "So if they're willing to do something that shitty to her and willing to carve someone into fucking chitlins to open a gate here, a little wholesale slaughter ain't going to fucking keep them up at night," I summarized. "Chitlins?" Wolf repeated, trying to figure out the reference. "Every time someone opens a gate from our world to here," McGann said, "They kill someone for that power. Tamazusa is the only person I know who doesn't have to kill to do that." She was silent for a moment, calculating something in her head, her lips moving soundlessly as she figured out the math. She looked white as a sheet when she was done, and her knees just buckled. Wolf managed to catch her before I did, and that calmed the two of them down. "Five hundred people," she told him softly, before she buried her head in his shoulder and started to cry helplessly. 276
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Wolf started stroking her hair and crooning in her ear. I didn't stick around to see what happened next, even if there was no "next" right now. I made my way out into the night to see if there was space someplace else for me tonight. To tell you the truth, as jaded as I was, knowing that the Trustees were fuckers who would rob the gold out of their mother's' teeth, it still chilled me to the bone to know how many people they had killed to get an army here, as well as the thousands they had killed when they had arrived here. **** Keno Samojirou and I walked back to our room in silence. I waited until the maid slid the door shut and walked away before I said anything. "I wish that you had discussed that with me," I told him softly. "Not that we really gave each other much time to discuss any plans." "Keno," Samojirou started. I went over and hugged him. "I'm angry that you made the decision and didn't tell me that you had done so before you announced it. I'm not angry that you made it." Maybe I was too submissive for my own good. Or it could be that I would never shake off the Trust's conditioning that arguing with someone or giving them my opinion would result in me getting hurt or killed. But I was also too scared that I would start doing something weird if I went with Aboshi to that battlefield. That I'd pick up a sword and never put it down again, either because I couldn't—due to the constant 277
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challenges based on who I had been—or I wouldn't because I liked killing so much that I turned into a mad dog. "Keno," Samojirou said softly, "I am sorry." "I accept that," I said, even if I didn't think the apology was because he overstepped his bounds with me. "Be careful. I wish...." "You wish what?" he asked, kissing my hair. "I wish that I could go with you," I admitted. "But I know that I shouldn't. Was I so different before?" He hesitated before answering, picking his words carefully before telling me quietly. "I think that you wouldn't understand your ancestor." "Could I be him?" "Keno-chan?" Samojirou asked, sounding a little panicky. "I... I know that you love me," I said. "I know that you love him still, also. Sometimes, because of what happened, I wonder if I'm him. That's why you never found him here. Not because he wasn't allowed into the Dreamlands, but because he never left the real world. And I'm him because he kept getting reborn into my family." "Keno—" "It doesn't mean you love me any less or more than him. But sometimes I just think that I'm not really me because I am him." Samojirou tilted my head back, looking deeply into my eyes. "I don't think that you are your ancestor Inuzaka Keno. He...."
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"No one wants to talk about him, not even you, Samojirousama," I pointed out. "What did he do that was so bad that no one wants to tell me?" "He took a vow," Samojirou said softly, his eyes dark, seeing something that I all of a sudden didn't want to know about. "I met him when he was young, younger than you are but considered to be a man." He laughed suddenly. It was bitter and sad at the same time, and I hated that I was doing this to him. "He had just fulfilled that vow. We had known each other for a short while. I was an oni, and he was one of the Hakkenshi. He didn't know that, but I did." He took a deep breath. "And I took advantage of that knowledge." "Did you hurt him?" I asked, searching his face for... something. All I saw was sadness. It was softened with the slight smile, so he had to be remembering something good, too. "I like to think that I was the only person in his life who didn't hurt him," Samojirou said. "Aboshi, if that is true, then what happened between you was not an evil thing," I whispered. "Even if your motives were not pure." "He was," Samojirou murmured, something in his voice sounding like grief. "Not in body. He had used that to get what he needed to succeed with his vow, and there had been many who enjoyed that trade. But his spirit was pure. I had hoped to corrupt him. He ended up saving me." I kissed him. There wasn't anything else I could do but that. He didn't need to tell me anything else. Our kiss deepened, becoming desperate. 279
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I didn't know who started tearing off the other's clothing first, but I realized mine ended up shredded swiftly. Samojirou seemed to be growling as he sucked and nipped at my throat. All I could do was moan his name helplessly. I fumbled with his obi and kimono, and soon he was as naked as I was. I didn't know what was happening. In all honesty, while there had been a lot of touching in our relationship, there hadn't been this passion. I thought that was a result of almost losing each other. I raked my nails across his back, hearing him groan, even if the nails were short and blunt. He arched away from them and into me, clutching at my butt, pulling me closer. I knew there would be bruises and worse soon and didn't care. I pulled out of our kiss, growling, "Fuck me. Hard. Fast. Whatever. I want to feel it!" Samojirou looked at me in shock, since I had never said anything like that before. He did treat me like a delicate flower most of the time. I didn't want that now. I didn't know when or if I was going to see him again. I wanted something I would feel after he was gone. He flipped me on my left side, pushing my right leg up, so that it was at an odd angle. I groped for the oil and managed to get it open and give it to him, and he started to prepare me, fast and rough. I was still a little sore from our earlier marathon lovemaking, and I winced when he touched me. Thankfully, he either didn't notice or didn't care. There was a wild look on his face, and that look made me so hard I wanted to burst. 280
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I gasped when he pushed into me, slick and hard, not waiting for me to adjust before he did what I asked of him. Samojirou was brutal. His hips snapped into me furiously. He leaned forward, his hair falling around us, and was growling, I swear, as he proceeded to take me. It was wicked and ferocious, almost animalistic. I lunged for his throat, sucking at it furiously, not caring that he was going to be covered in my marks. I was going to be covered in bruises. He pounded into me, and somehow I managed to get my leg around him as I shredded his back during my orgasm, bucking with him, both of us lost in our joy. He rolled me over and continued to ride me, unable to stop, it seemed. I didn't care; I was lost in my own lust. I knew that he touched me, played with my nipples, and palmed my cock as I explored him, mindlessly touching until we both came again, violent and hard, something I couldn't even imagine before tonight. There was screaming, lots of it, and I expected someone to burst in on us to see if we were killing each other. "I can't," Samojirou groaned when he got his breath back. I panted, trying to get air into my lungs, unable to say anything. I knew he was telling me he couldn't let me come with them. "I know," I wheezed. "Just... just... I just got you back again! It's not fair!" Samojirou didn't say anything. He didn't have to. We spent the rest of the night trying to merge with each other. It wasn't as violent as it had been earlier, but by morning, we were both covered in the results of our passion. 281
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**** The next morning, Fuse and Helga came to our room. Samojirou and I had bathed, but dressed was another matter, and I was also sitting a little gingerly at times. Samojirou looked a little guilty when I winced, but proud too. I had my own happy moments when he winced because of the scratches I had left on his back. "Good morning!" Fuse trilled. Helga looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. While Fuse was wearing a beautiful peach kimono, Helga looked like she had slept in hers, since it was wrinkled as well as being a terrible color of green. It was not flattering to her at all, and I wondered where she had gotten it. I knew that Fuse wouldn't have her wearing something that dreadful on purpose. But I doubted they had a lot here that Helga would fit in. Clothing Tholf was almost as bad, but there were enough tall samurai around that he could manage to find something to wear. Helga must have been a bit upset that we were only wearing fundoshi. The saving grace was that she wasn't ogling Samojirou. If she had been, then I would have had to hurt her. Fuse didn't seem to care, but I really didn't want my mother to see me after a night of intense sex. To put it bluntly, both of us looked like we had spent the week in a Yoshiwara pleasure house, even if we had bathed. "Keno-chan, I thought that Helga might learn something in seeing your transformation into Sakura-dono," Fuse announced. 282
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I thought it might be better if she met Sakura after I was dressed in my female persona, and hopefully Helga would be like a lot of the people around here and think that we were different people. But she might give the disguise away out of spite if she didn't know from the beginning. Or it might be that Fuse wanted her to know how to put on makeup. Helga was staring at Samojirou and me as if we were the lowest things in the world. I remembered too late that the Northerners seemed to have some sort of stupid prejudice against homosexuality. She was going to have to learn to get over it, if she stayed here, though I was quite willing to ship her back to that farm after Tamazusa regained her kuni. "You wear women's clothing!" Helga exclaimed, horrified. "That is unnatural! No wonder you were able to beat Egil in a fight, you did use witchcraft. You are a shaman!" "Cultural prejudice," I told Samojirou before he did anything to her because she was insulting the two of us, even if she didn't know it. "And I was lucky that the Northmen were lazy in their training methods." "That they are idiots is known to me," Samojirou said with a smile. "That you had been in a fight was not. I am glad that you were victorious." He turned to Fuse. "Do you think that Helga would learn something useful here this morning, like manners?" he asked. "Or are you hoping that the rumors would name her as your husband's oiran and that Sakurachan is training her?" "Samojirou-sama, you are a very bad man to even think such a thing!" Fuse exclaimed. But she was laughing too. 283
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Helga didn't get the joke, because she was looking back and forth at the two of them in confusion. "Or do you just need a decent maid?" I asked cattily, falling into the women's dialect easily. "From what I've seen, she'll need a lot of training to be even adequate for that. And I doubt that she would even be able to walk the streets of Yoshiwara, never mind work there as an oiran." "For shame, Sakura-chan," Fuse scolded me. "A proper person doesn't say such things." She paused. "Nor should you speak a language that a person doesn't understand in front of them." "I am sorry, Mother," I told her in English, bowing to her. It had been petty, but there was something about Helga that made me want to act like I was ten and be a brat around her. "She is your mother?" Helga asked. To her credit, she tried to sound polite about it. "In a manner of speaking," I told her. "Fuse-hime is a very great lady, and her husband Yatsufusa-sama is a great lord." "That is the name of her dog," Helga stated, her tone indicating she thought I was a fool for calling a dog a lord. "He is her husband," Samojirou said coolly. "And it will be well-advised to keep a civil tongue in your head if you don't want to lose it. Your head, not your tongue." She looked at him, horrified before she turned to stare at Fuse. "That is—" "This is the Dreamlands," Fuse told her flatly, not letting her finish what she wanted to say. "You know that one's appearance here is just an illusion." 284
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"While this is not Valhalla or Asgard, I don't think that such a thing is possible," Helga protested. "What you talk of seems more to be in the realm of the Trickster than anything good." "It is part of a curse," Samojirou said simply, apparently knowing whom she was talking about. "One that I... I was the one that was the cause of it. It is because of my actions that such a thing came about." "You act as if my father has nothing to do with it," Fuse said tartly. Helga looked uneasy, because they were speaking of things she would never understand. There was a knock on the door, and then it slid open. Tamazusa walked in with a couple of the maids carrying clothing and a make-up box trailing behind her. "I know that you are an excellent maid," Tamazusa teased, her eyes widening a little at the bruises on my neck and chest. She knew love bites when she saw them, even if she wasn't going to be rude enough to comment on them. It helped that Samojirou's chest had them too. "But I think that you are going to need help dressing this morning, Sakurachan. I fear that you must go back to acting the part of a proper young lady again." I nodded, feeling odd that Yukiko wasn't there to dress me. "I know that, Tamazusa-sama," I said with a laugh. "It could be worse. You might need me as your maid." "She chose to stay behind," Samojirou said softly, apparently sensing what I was feeling. "She cannot wander far from her garden in any case." 285
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"She's stuck there?" I asked, trying not to sound too upset. What if something happened to the shoen? "A kashin has a difficult time leaving her flower," Tamazusa said. "It is their nature." "If something happens to your shoen and its gardens, then they will all die?" I asked her softly, not wanting to know that answer but having to ask the question. A lot of the maids were flower spirits, along with all of the gardeners. The cooks and other servants were different spirits, either kodama, tree spirits, or some other type of shape-shifter. I had worried about them, but now I realized they were in a lot more danger than I had assumed. Tamazusa just nodded, and thankfully Samojirou changed the topic of conversation. "I don't think Sakura-chan would mind if I stayed here," Samojirou shared with a sly smile. "I usually see the process from the other end, when I am undressing him." The maids all giggled while I blushed, and Tamazusa just shook her head with a smile. Everyone had figured out by now that he and I were involved. "I knew that you'd say that." "I don't think that this is going to be as complicated as it usually is either," Fuse commented. "We aren't going to kabuki or an ikebana exhibit." "Flower arranging," I told Helga before she could ask. "Tholf was right. You Southerners are decadent," Helga muttered. She clearly wasn't comfortable with the concept of cross-dressing. I wondered if that was part of the reason she had given Tamazusa and McGann such a difficult time, since 286
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they had been wearing what could be considered men's clothing. Or it could be that she was just a bitch. I was leaning toward the bitch theory myself. "I think that it was the constant hot water that he enjoyed," I told her. I wasn't surprised that she was upset about being here. While she hadn't been an important person back on Njalsson's farm, it had been a place she was familiar with. I thought she even missed the backbreaking labor a little. She had wandered around like a lost soul, I had been told, until Fuse took her under her protection. I had been too busy trying not to go insane waiting for Samojirou to show up to pay attention to what Helga had been doing. "Is it that you think that Hamaji and I aren't good enough daughters for you, Mother?" I teased Fuse in Japanese. "Or is it that you wish to foist Konbungo off on this poor girl? Have you developed a taste for matchmaking? Are you going to marry off Genpachi next?" Samojirou and Tamazusa laughed, while the maids giggled and shook their heads, adding comments under their breath, mainly about this finally being a woman big enough for my brother. Helga could tell they were saying something about her but didn't know what. She looked like she was going to try and make them tell her what they had said, but then she remembered where she was. I thought Fuse was starting to have a good influence on her. Or it could have been that she realized the odds were against her if she attacked the maids. Fuse frowned at me, trying to be stern, but involuntarily smiling at my comments. "You need to explain our merriment to the poor child." 287
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"Helga-chan," I started, causing a new wave of giggling among the maids, "I simply was trying to cheer my mother up. I'm afraid that it was at your expense. I apologize for that." "What does 'chan' mean?" Helga demanded, ignoring my apology. "I only hear it after your name. You're a man who can't decide what he is. I know that I am all woman, so don't call me 'chan'!" "It is a term of endearment," Tamazusa explained. "I doubt that anyone would use such a thing with you." "And you want Mason to use such a thing with you!" Helga snapped back. I saw Tamazusa's fingers twitch, but that was about it. Glances darted between Fuse and Samojirou, and I wondered if I was going to have to break up something between Helga and my lord. Tamazusa's method of dealing with Helga usually involved some sort of violence. But she seemed to be calming down, and I wondered how much of that violence had been because of the position we had been in. Then I thought for a second. Mason seemed to like Tamazusa, even if it wasn't in a romantic way. He had been a friend to her, as odd as that sounded. And I thought she was lonely, a bit, even if she wouldn't admit it. Mason probably had been the only one in centuries to not treat her as "Lord Tamazusa." "He probably would," I said, pausing before I added. "Along with adding that honorific to Wolf, McGann, and any of my brothers' names also." 288
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He might not call Dousetsu or any of the others that, but with Wolf and McGann he would. I didn't know what was going on, but Helga wasn't going to ruin it for Tamazusa, even if it was something as harmless as some inappropriate teasing from Mason. I could tell Samojirou was thinking the same thing, and I knew that as soon as Tamazusa recovered her kuni, he was going to have a big-brother-type talk with her about her feelings for Mason. "I think that you can also teach Helga Japanese, since your English is much more fluent than mine," Fuse told me. "McGann-san and Mason-chan would also benefit from lessons, but I think that Wolf-chan will be giving them their lessons." Both Helga and I looked at her in horror. Helga was a troublemaker, and I didn't want to deal with that either. "I want Wolf to teach me!" Helga demanded. "I don't think that Wolf-san has anything to teach you," Samojirou drawled. "Nor does he want to." "At least he knows what a real woman is for!" Helga snapped, getting the dig that he was making. Samojirou looked at her and then me. I shook my head. I didn't want any trouble. Fuse just looked embarrassed. I could have told her that it wasn't her fault. I knew Helga would say the most insulting thing at the worst time. It seemed the woman had a talent for it. "A woman," he told Helga coldly, "is to be respected for her intelligence and her wit. A real woman is one who is secure in her power, no matter how little or how much she has. A real woman accepts that there are men who have no 289
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interest in her, whether because they are not interested in women or just not interested in her. From what I've seen and heard, I doubt that you are a real woman." Fuse nodded and then turned to Samojirou and Tamazusa, bowing low. "I do apologize for this unpleasant incident. I had hoped that Helga would learn something from Sakura-chan's grace and charm. I was mistaken." "It is that you are such a gracious lady that you expect all to be one," Tamazusa demurred courteously. "I fear that this one will never learn the lessons that you want to teach her." She paused. "And it seems that she has not learned the ones that I did endeavor to teach her. The fault is also mine." "I know that you have a kind and loving heart," Samojirou told Fuse. "This woman seems to have neither. The fault is not yours for what the kami never gave her." Thankfully, this was all in English, so that Helga understood what was being said. She understood it so well that she launched herself at Tamazusa. She was surprised when I intercepted her, using her momentum against her so that I could throw her in the different direction and away from anyone here. Too bad that move broke the door to the garden and Helga landed in a mess of broken bamboo and paper windows that used to be a sliding door. She went down in a heap on the porch, stunned that I had thrown her. "I am sorry for the mess I made, Tamazusa-sama," I said as I bowed humbly. The maids looked shocked and Fuse disappointed. I thought that she was upset that Helga had behaved so badly. She rose to her feet slowly and bowed to Tamazusa and 290
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Samojirou. "I fear that I must tell my daughter by marriage of the mess that has been made in her home." Helga stood up slowly. "You fight well," she said, sounding surprised. "I train every morning with my lord's samurai," I stated. I didn't do it here, because I didn't want to deal with Shino's samurai, because the fewer people who knew Inuzaka Keno was here, the better. I actually was looking forward to being Sakura again, since I had missed being her in the Northlands. "I know that you are not happy here," I said. She looked angry but nodded her head slowly. "When this is all taken care of, we can send you back there if you want." "You will?" she asked, trying not to sound suspicious of the offer. "Edo is actually a port, and we do trade with your people," Tamazusa said. "We can send you home when this is all over." "I'm sorry that you are not happy here," Fuse said with regret. "But I also think that you should try harder to be so." "You bathe constantly, the food is strange, and I miss my own clothing," Helga said in a rush. "I don't know what my place is here!" "Ah," Fuse murmured and nodded her head. "That is hard to know, wherever you are," she acknowledged. "You must make your own place." "There is nothing for me to do," Helga said, her eyes bright with tears. I felt sorry for her, because I just realized she must have been acting the way she was because she felt so miserable. That didn't make me like her any better. She 291
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reminded me of Anya too much to like her. "I try to find things to do, but no one talks to me in a tongue that I understand. They all shoo me away, like I was a goat that was going to get into the wash!" I couldn't help it. I snickered when I heard her say that. Fuse shook her head and started to leave. Helga scrambled to her feet and followed her out. Tamazusa and Samojirou watched the maids help me dress and do my makeup. I sensed there was something that Tamazusa wanted to tell me, but I couldn't guess what. I didn't think she was upset about Samojirou's decision to send me to Edo. In fact, I thought he had probably talked it over with her. I couldn't be angry about that, though. They talked about a lot of things like that. After I was dressed, Tamazusa dismissed the maids with a smile. I had my hair pulled back in a simple bun and I wore a light yellow kimono with a pale orange under-kimono, with very little makeup. I was sad to realize I felt more comfortable dressed up as Sakura than I had wearing the kimono and hakama of a man. "You look delightful," Tamazusa told me when they were done. She had gone back to wearing a simple black kimono, looking elegant and composed as always. Samojirou said nothing, but the look in his eyes was enough for me. He preferred to see me dressed like this, so I wouldn't be in danger. That was something I was going to have to talk to him about. "There is another reason I want to send you to Edo," she shared quietly. "While I may not have control of my kuni, 292
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there are a number of places that I have gold and other resources stored. I want you to access them. When I am in control again, I'm going to need that money to pay for the cost of the war that we are now in." "Will they release it to me? How am I going to get it to you?" I asked her. "There are a number of scrolls hidden in your baggage that can be used to access the funds. They are letters of introduction to those who you need to contact," she said briskly. "And you can make arrangements when Aboshi contacts you." "As my lord wishes," I told her formally. I hesitated for a second, "I'm not angry, honestly. Samojirou-sama and I discussed the matter last night." "I saw that," she said dryly. "In fact, your discussion seems to have been very intense." Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hide my blush. Samojirou looked slightly abashed by her comment, but smug also. I tried not to roll my eyes. I was proud that she trusted me to do this for her. It made me feel like I was contributing something to her cause. "I will take my leave of the two of you right now," Tamazusa said. She smiled slightly. "I do fear that all the maids' work will be wasted as soon as I go." She was right. **** I wasn't surprised when Mason showed up at the room Samojirou and I were staying in. I thought he was bored and 293
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at loose ends. I didn't mind the company, though. There was no way I was going to be part of planning the war we seemed to be in the middle of. For one thing, everyone else had centuries of experience with this stuff. And I didn't think I could do something like that. It wasn't that I thought I was stupid or anything like that. I just knew it wasn't something I could do or that Samojirou or Tamazusa wanted me to do. "You not planning the war?" he asked. "No," I told him shortly. "I think that the two of them are tickled fucking pink if you stayed out of this mess," Mason said. "Hell, I bet that Samojirou slapped that white face on you so fast your head spun." "That isn't funny, Mason," I said sharply. "It wasn't supposed to be," he growled at me. "But fuck, Tamazusa's been talking to me about shit, mainly so that I won't stick my foot in it any more than I usually do." "And?" "She explained to me why your boyfriend has the tranny kink with you," Mason said. "And shit, don't tell him that I said this, but I think that it's a good idea." "I'm so glad that you approve of it," I said sarcastically, "Did you ever think that I just might like dressing up like that?" "You like it?" Mason asked me, looking very surprised. "Even the pimp shoes?" I frowned at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "You mean the formal geta that I sometimes wear?" 294
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"Them tall sandals that I don't know how you don't break your neck walking in things, yeah," Mason said. "Real tayuu wear taller sandals when they make their procession in the pleasure quarters," I explained. "I saw it once. It was impressive." "What the fuck were you doing there?" Mason demanded, acting like I was a child or something. "Shit. I don't want to know. And I ain't ratting you out to Fuse-hime about it." "Mother has seven other sons. I think that she's figured out that we've all visited the pleasure quarters at least once. I think that Genpachi lives in them, practically, even the one in Nara." "Which one is he?" Mason asked. "The one who reminds me of you a lot," I told him with a grin. "We all laugh about the fact that you aren't his avatar." "Wolf's got one that has no sense of humor," Mason grumbled. "They're kinda alike." "Dousetsu's just shy," I said, feeling that I needed to defend the man. "He's been very nice to me." "Mother?" Mason asked me, getting back to something that I had said earlier. "Fuse-hime asked me to call her Mother," I shared. "I know that it sounds and looks odd, but she feels like my mother. Not that I'm forgetting about my biological family, it's just that I've been cut off from them for so long that it feels good to have one again." "I still can't see Samojirou taking you to a whorehouse," Mason said skeptically, getting back to the start of our conversation, even if he did look really guilty. When the Trust 295
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originally captured me, Wolf hadn't been on that assignment alone, trying to find out who had broken into the company's servers. Mason had been driving the car. "Samojirou-sama took me there to see her," I said. "To..." Mason started. "Not for that," I said, trying not to sound angry at him. I wasn't really. He was at least trying to understand. I didn't think that Wolf ever would. "But to see her procession. Tomiko is one of the highest ranking tayuu in Yoshiwara, the pleasure quarters for Edo. She's someone who is just amazing to watch. I learned a lot about being a tayuu from just watching her. I think that if she could have, Yoshinoko would have taken me there when she was training me." "Who?" Mason asked. "Yoshinoko was my teacher for being a tayuu, a girl, really, for Samojirou-sama," I said. "I liked it. I actually think that I like being Sakura more than I like being me." Mason looked a little disturbed, but there was something in his eyes that told me that he understood. I had been the Trust's prisoner for four years, most of that time frightened and abused. Not always physically. Most of the time I had been everyone's favorite target to yell at because something had gone wrong. Who wouldn't want to be someone else after that? "What's a 'tayoo'?" Mason asked, mispronouncing the word badly. "A tayuu is a woman who is a courtesan," I explained. "There are several ranks of them in the pleasure quarters. Tayuu is the highest rank. A house can only have one of 296
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them. The next lowest rank is oiran. Below that are the women who are just prostitutes. All of these women belong only in the pleasure quarters. They only get to leave there if a lord or a rich merchant buys out their contract to live with them. Or if they get too old for the customers. Then they either run their own house or become a procurer in the countryside. Tayuu and even some oiran are able to retire without having to do that if they are lucky and very careful with their money." "He's dressing you up as a hooker?" Mason blurted out in horror. "The ice bitch wasn't pulling our leg with that one? I thought that she was full of shit on that one." "You sound like Shinbee or Sousuke," I snapped. "Samojirou-sama respects me. This is something that amuses both of us. And it does keep me safe. Though after this, I think that Mother is going to have to spread the rumor that Inuzaka Keno has retired from the world, just so that I won't be constantly challenged. Even if they don't know where I am, there will always be the fools who would spread lies and force me to challenge them." "So you figured it out," Mason said. "And I don't think that the other two think that you have." I shrugged. "I know that both Tamazusa-sama and Samojirou-sama don't want to worry me. I don't know everything about who I was, but they'll tell me eventually." Mason nodded, and I knew Tamazusa had told him. I opened my mouth to ask him what my ancestor—what I had been like, actually—and then shut it again. I didn't want to know yet. And I saw the relief in Mason's eyes that I wasn't 297
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asking. "I don't think that you should tell Wolf, either," I said carefully. "Because I don't think that he'd understand. I don't understand a lot of what happened, and I grew up with legends like this, such as the Tales of the Heike and the Forty Seven Ronin." Mason shifted and looked uncomfortable for a second. "Fuck, I know that we hadn't really had time to talk about shit. And I know that the other two are busy too. But I want to be the one that tells you this. We're moving in with Tamazusa when this is all over." "What about you going back to the real world?" I blurted out. "Trust fucked us over like they did you, kid," Mason said tiredly. "Right now, I don't know if there is a way back for us. We've been here a long time." "You have," I said, now that I thought about it. Before I had been worried about getting Tamazusa back to Nippon. Not to mention I had been exhausted for most of the time Mason, Wolf, and McGann had been here. Then I had been glad to see them and just didn't want them to go back. "We were screwed from the start," Mason told me. "Hell, Wolf's worried about his grandfather, which might be the only reason he would be goin' back. Stayin' here ain't bad." "There's a war going on," I warned. "But we know who our enemies are, here," Mason said. "And shit, would you believe that the fuckers from the Trust are among them? So it's like they brought the war to us." Only Mason would sound happy about something like that. [Back to Table of Contents] 298
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Chapter Twelve Mason Faster than I thought it could happen, the bunch of them had a plan, got organized, and then were off to war. And shit, that was a scary thing. I thought what probably helped was that there was nothing like a standing army here. Everything was organized around the lord who was your boss. Keno's family had samurai and other people who owed them soldiers and supplies, stuff like that, but nothing like having a platoon or two of guys sitting around, waiting to jump into the next shitstorm because they were told to since you pay them a ton of money to do so. There was some sort of organization they tried to explain to me, and all I did was nod my head a lot and try not to look too confused. It didn't fool them. But they also seemed to have a hard time understanding that the Trust had a ton of mean fuckers whose only job was to go out and kill things. Because of whatever shit they had going and a few other things, it was decided that me, Wolf, McGann, Tholf, and Helga were going to go to Edo with Hamaji, Fuse, and Keno. It was sort of like packing off the noncombatants to someplace really safe. Well, Wolf and Tholf could fight, as well as Keno, but I was useless here. It was a good fucking thing that a couple squads of samurai were going with us, because if we ran into anything really tough, our asses were toast. I would be the first to admit that. I figured that if I kept saying that, none of these people would think that challenging me to 299
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single combat was a good idea. I just had to get the "don't piss off the guys with swords" manners down, and I'd be all set. Genpachi was the guy in charge of our group, mainly because he didn't have any place that he could raise an army from, because he didn't have a kuni like everyone else around here. They wanted someone from the family in charge of our group, because most of us weren't people the authorities or the other lords were going to listen to. I'd thought that Keno would be pissed that he couldn't go with the others, but he wasn't. Smart kid really, because a battlefield was no place for him. Our group was going to take the main road to Edo while Tamazusa and the others were going to quietly march into her kuni, claim it, and then start kicking ass. Okay, the plan was a little more complicated than that, but as I said, I didn't understand it. Something about she had to join with the kuni again and take control of it. Once that happened, the monsters would calm down and she'd push that asshole Iida's army off her land. Then all we had to worry about was those fucking Trust guys and the Egyptians. I still had to make up my mind on which were the bigger assholes. It was a tough choice, considering what was going on. Keno and Samojirou were off saying their goodbyes, which in my mind meant the kid was getting nailed to the floor again, but then, I had a dirty mind. Hamaji and Shino were off someplace, too, along with everyone else, so it was just Tamazusa, half a dozen samurai, and me in one of courtyards in this place. 300
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I was glad to see that Seki was one of the samurai who would be with her. What was weird was that she was in some kind of armor, and that drove it home to me that she was going to war. She may not fight, but she was going to be on the battlefield, in the thick of the fighting, and she needed the protection that armor was going to give her. It was heavylooking, made of some sort of metal and fancy work, and I hated seeing her in it. "You take care of yourself," I said. "Shit, I wish that...." "I need to take back my land," she reminded me. "I know that, but... well, thanks for sending the kid with me to watch my ass," I said. I wasn't sure that I was supposed to call Keno by his real name or by Sakura in front of these people. "You just watch yours." I figured Seki had a small fit listening to me say that. Tamazusa just shook her head, knowing I wasn't going to act any better. If I had, that would have scared the shit out of her. "I will hold you to the promise that you made me," she said. "Salsa dancing and mojitos when you get done," I promised. I was glad I didn't say something stupid, like "Do you really need to do this?", because I knew she needed to. It wasn't an ego thing for her; she really needed to care for her land. She liked the power, I knew that, but she also liked the responsibility. Hell, for all I knew, she actually liked those damned Reavers. "You need any of us, you know that we'll come running," I said. 301
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"Even Wolf?" she asked with a wry smile. "He's a damn Boy Scout," I said. "He thinks that he owes you big now because you're trusting him, so he'll show up, even if you ain't his favorite person." I stepped over to her and gave her a hug, ignoring the horror of all her samurai. Hugging wasn't something that happened to cast-iron bitches here. Or people wearing armor, because it was damn uncomfortable to hug her since the fucking stuff was made out of metal and ornate as all hell. Seki had his sword half drawn before he realized I wasn't attacking her. He was confused about what was going on, but I wasn't hurting her. "You need one of these," I said quietly. "No matter what happens, this shit ain't your fault. Assholes would have done this anyway." She leaned into my hug after a shocked second. I guessed she wasn't used to this shit, even if I had been acting like this around her for a couple of weeks. Or maybe she thought that I had some sort of sense and knew better than to do this. She didn't know me very well, then, did she? "But I would be in a much better position to deal with it," she said quietly, talking to my chest. "I had forgotten how much of a hurry the real world is in. I thought that they would take years or decades with their plans, not the scant weeks that they did." "Fuckers probably had had some sort of stupid plan like this on the books since the beginning, which was a long fucking time ago for us," I said. "You—" 302
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"Underestimated my enemies," she said ruefully. "That is why I am here in this position." "And you're going to get to be king of the board again soon," I told her. "I'd say queen, but I think that's Samojirou." She shook her head, and I could almost feel her grin. "You are terrible man, Mason Kairns. I fear for Edo more than I do for Iida now, knowing that you and Inukai-sama will be there." "I promise that I'll leave the kid home when we go on a bar crawl," I said. "But I'll take Wolf. That should be good for a few laughs." She laughed at that, like I wanted her to, and then stepped back out of my hug, cool and in control again. I felt a pang, missing the Tamazusa I'd had fun with on the ship. She was gone, and I doubted I was going to get her back. But I couldn't resist one last teasing remark. "Hey, Seki, you take care of my hot mama! Man don't get to date someone like her in my line of work." Seki looked confused more than horrified, so I knew he hadn't understood anything I had just said. If he had, I might have been dead right now. I could tell from the shake of her head that Tamazusa had understood what I was trying to say, and that was all that mattered to me. I bowed clumsily, knowing I was doing it all wrong but also knowing she deserved this sign of respect from me. "Tamazusa-sama, I know that you're going to kick Iida's ass." Tamazusa bowed back, all formal and serious. "I will see you again, Kairns-san." 303
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As I turned and walked away, I had almost convinced myself that the sting in my eyes was because of dust and not something else. **** Keno I wasn't surprised that I was being sent off to Edo. If there was going to be a full-scale invasion, then that was the safest place. Edo was set up as a military town and had plenty of defenses, unlike the old capitals of Nara or Kyoto. Kyoto had been burned to the ground too many times in the real world for it to be considered safe. Besides, my family and Tamazusa's power is in the Kanto area. "I will miss you," Samojirou murmured. "Aboshi... please be safe," I begged him. I knew he didn't want me with him for selfish reasons. He didn't want me to kill anyone. I didn't want that, too, but for different reasons. I was afraid that once I started, I'd never be able to stop. Stupid, right? But I still didn't know what my ancestor had been like, except people thought he was an insane killer. It was getting to be a very awkward topic, one everyone was aware of but no one wanted to talk about, including me. I might consider breaking down and asking Genpachi if we stayed in Edo too long. I had helped Samojirou dress in his armor, putting it on in the manner that had become traditional ages ago. When he was finally dressed, he looked so different from the elegant courier who was Tamazusa-sama's karo. His armor was bright blue and silver, very unlike the somber colors he usually 304
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wore. I was surprised to see that the mask for his armor was a reflection of what he looked like as an oni in the real world. Had he known that was what he would look like? Or was it something he'd had created after he rescued me? "You are the one who will be with that insane woman," he said, trying to comfort me. I just couldn't stop staring at him. I had just realized he was going off to fight and I might not see him again. "I'm more worried about you." I couldn't help it. I laughed. I thought that he wanted me to. I was hoping Fuse would be able to keep Helga in line. Yesterday morning had taught her that it was going to be a more difficult job than she realized. "We are going to the center of Tamazusa's power," he said. "As soon as she reclaims her kuni and the land is quieted, I will come to you in Edo. I know that I cannot be gone for long, but I will tell you when we are successful." He had said when, not if, so that I wouldn't worry about him. Nothing about how nasty it was going to be to get there, fighting monsters and probably ambushes from other lords. I had looked on the map in Shino's war room. It was a long journey. There were all sorts of rules, too, that needed to be followed. It seemed that claiming a kuni was as ritualized as a lot of other things around here were. I gave into the impulse I had and pulled Samojirou's head down for one more kiss. I didn't understand how he managed to break it off and walk away from me, but he did after an endless time. It was all I could do not to start crying before he walked out that door. [Back to Table of Contents] 305
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Chapter Thirteen Keno My party started out for Edo the next morning. The journey was going to take several days, even at the punishing speeds we were forcing upon the kaga bearers. I knew we were probably not the only ones traveling this way. War had come to Nippon, and everyone was fleeing to Edo. I just hoped the journey wasn't going to be as bad as I remembered. I was wrong. I was slightly nauseous the entire time due to the rocking of the kaga, and McGann wasn't much better. Hamaji and Fuse shared the other kaga. The only good thing about that was we could pass the time with McGann's language lessons. Helga, the bitch, either rode or walked because the kaga bearers refused to carry her. I didn't know if that made me angry or amused. It depended on how sick I was feeling at the moment. But tayuu and ladies weren't supposed the walk to their destinations. We were supposed to be carried, like the delicate flowers that we were. This delicate flower was carrying a katana and a wakizashi with him in case we were attacked. McGann's eyes had widened when she had seen me put them in the kaga. I didn't know why, since she had seen me use them before. Or was it that she expected me not to use them because I was wearing a different type of kimono? I knew Helga was going to be trouble on the road. She didn't understand that we would have to wash up at every 306
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place that we stayed or why the people that she thought of as skraelingjar were looking down their noses at her. It was because she was an odd-looking barbarian. Not odd-smelling at least, her change in diet took care of that. Tholf was a lot more easygoing about the situation he found himself in. I thought he would be upset about not being in battle or the fact that I was now dressed as a woman. I had expected him to be as upset as Helga had been, but he only grinned and shook his head when he saw me the first time. His time with the few of Tamazusa's samurai who were here had impressed upon him that I was a good fighter, no matter how I was dressed. And there was the fact that I had managed to disarm him and Egil in that fight on the beach. "Sakura-san," he greeted me as I joined him in the inn's garden. We had stopped for the first night in a small inn, and luckily we were the only people there. That didn't mean we didn't have to worry about spies or what the people here would say about us after we were gone. The party was memorable for the number of gaijin we had. "Tholf-san, it is good to see you," I said formally. "I thank you for accompanying us." "I don't understand enough Japanese to be of any use on the battlefield, even if any of those lords would have me," he said bluntly. He leaned down, lowering his voice and almost whispering in my ear. "And the warriors here make me look like a stripling lad on his first raid." "Did you do that often?" I asked him, easily stepping to the side, knowing that it was a rude question, but one I was curious about. Now that I had a chance to think about it, he 307
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hadn't seemed to fit in on Njalsson's farm. Unlike the rest of them, he didn't seem to be a farmer. Neither had Egil, but I also thought that man shouldn't be trusted. I wouldn't have wanted him as my companion for any length of time. "Not here," he said, grinning at my move as he straightened up. "In the living world, I raided a time or two. Mostly I traded. I got to see The City one time." "The city?" I asked, wondering what he was talking about. There were many cities in the real world, but even I heard the capital letters when he was referring to that city. "Constantinople," he said reverently. "It was beautiful. The buildings were made of stone, and the place had wide, cobbled streets. It doesn't sound like the city called Edo. Inukai was telling me about the pleasure quarters there when we were traveling." I bit back a groan. I really didn't need to worry about the three of them going on a pub crawl. I knew Mason would be going with them, too, when Genpachi went out drinking, so the experience at whatever house they visited would be memorable. I knew he wouldn't take them when he went out on any serious business, for they would also attract a lot of attention when they went out. I thought I might see if I could send Wolf out with them just so someone sane was with them. "The pleasure quarters are very interesting to visit," I said neutrally. I thought about explaining the rules of Yoshiwara to him and then decided it was something Genpachi could tell him. But I also didn't expect Genpachi would be patronizing the 308
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more expensive women there. I didn't think he was interested in that kind of relationship. The higher-class courtesans in the quarters usually played all sorts of social games with anyone interested in them before there was even a hint of any sort of sexual relationship. A patron, if he was accepted by a courtesan, had a number of visits with the woman, talking about small things and paying outrageous prices for the snacks and tea supplied, as well as her time and the time of all her attendants. That could run into a lot of money quickly. Genpachi probably stuck to the women who weren't of a highenough rank to play those games. If he didn't, I doubt he was going to introduce either Tholf or Mason to them. For all I knew, Genpachi kept a woman in every city he visited. "You should see the procession of a house's tayuu," I continued. "It is quite entertaining." "And how would you know about that?" he asked, sounding scandalized. I flushed. Why did everyone think I was too young to know about sex? Or had they thought that Samojirou-sama kept me in a closet? I was an adult, damn it! "I have seen several of them," I told him stiffly. Tholf shook his head, knowing he had angered me, but not too upset about it. "You... she isn't really your sister, is she?" "She is my lord," I said. I wasn't going to explain Tamazusa and Aboshi's relationship to him. "The others, how do you know them?" Tholf asked. He wasn't being nosy; he just was puzzled, wondering how Tamazusa and I had gone from being refugees, in his eyes, to very important people. Nippon confused him, with our 309
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customs and climate that were so different from the small, cold farm he had been living on. "That is something that I do not feel comfortable discussing here," I said. "While we are not exactly being subtle about where we are going, I do not feel that it is wise to discuss the matter here." Tholf nodded. "The ladies...." "That is also something that shouldn't be discussed," I said. Actually, it was none of his business who they were. If none of the samurai had bothered to tell him that, then they probably thought he didn't need to know. "I understand that you do not want to talk about them," Tholf said. "But Helga grumbled that the dark-haired one was unnatural, like Loki. That her husband is a beast. I told her that she was being stupid again, but she insisted that I talk to you about this matter." "The lady's husband is a beast," I confirmed. I wanted to strangle Helga. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? Why did Fuse insist that the woman travel with us? "They were married because her father made a promise to him in jest. Yatsufusa-sama did what was asked of him, which was a feat of great bravery, and demanded his reward, which was her hand in marriage, as what had been promised to him. He was refused, although he was treated very well. He just didn't get his heart's desire as his reward. Fuse-hime learned of her father's promise and honored it. It was a marriage of the spirit rather than a physical one. They were both killed a year after that. It is a story that is famous throughout Nippon and known in the real world." 310
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"I thought that Helga was just trying to stir up trouble again," Tholf told me seriously. "I will treat Fuse-hime as the matron that she is, even if she looks too young to be one. Also the one that is with her, even if she seems flighty." "She just seems that way," I said. "And if I've beaten you, her husband is even a greater fighter than I am. She does have six brothers by marriage who will also defend her honor. And Fuse-hime is her mother by marriage. Genpachi is one of her sons." "McGann?" Tholf asked hopefully, with a grin. I didn't think he was serious about his interest in her. Wolf had checked on her hourly today, to make sure she was comfortable and didn't need anything. I figured it stunned him a little also to see me dressed as I was. He was going to have to get used to that, and he was going to have to start calling me Sakura instead of Keno. Mason was trying, I was happy to say. He was usually calling me kid, though. "That is something you will have to discuss with the lady," I said. Tholf nodded. Then Genpachi came out to check on the two of us, probably worrying that Tholf might be giving me trouble about the way I was dressed. He was also frowning slightly. "The inn should be full," Genpachi said. "There's not even merchants here. I can see the casual travelers stopping—this is no time to be running around Nippon for pleasure—but I think that there should be one or two small merchants here, either trying to get to the capital or trying to get north. 311
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Usually foreigners, sometimes, but there's no one here. And the maids say that it's been quiet for most of the week." "There might be something blocking them from either getting out of the city or down this road," Tholf said thoughtfully. "You might want to check on your neighbors to the north, if you can send word back to that place to do so. If they had any sense, the merchants knew what was in the wind and stayed put." Genpachi and I both winced. Tholf didn't know what had happened on Kyushu, but it was still ill-omened to say that. He saw our reaction and frowned. "What did I say amiss?" "We lost one of the islands to an ill wind," I told Tholf softly. "The enemy used something very bad to cause that wind." Tholf still looked confused, but I wasn't going to be the one that tried to explain mustard gas or sarin to the man. "Don't mention it to Wolf, please. He knows, but it is something that is painful to him." Tholf nodded. "Rotten magic isn't something to be talked about," he rumbled. "Nor should I mention how pretty you are, Blossom." I wasn't surprised that he knew that nickname for me since he had spent a lot of time with Seki and his squad. Genpachi laughed at that. "Too bad, Tholf, that all the pretty ones are taken. You're stuck with the woman from your homeland." I smiled at that. "You never know. Mother might want to marry her off to Konbungo. She is tall enough for him."
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"She would be a handful to deal with," Genpachi said thoughtfully, "but the poor man has to deal with Shinbee also. Do you want him to have no peace at all?" Tholf looked at both of us. While we might joke about it, I knew that it wouldn't happen. She wasn't Nipponese, and while that might have made us sound prejudiced, that was simply the truth. That she was a raging bitch at times didn't make her any more appealing, either. "I'll tell you that letting that one into your family wouldn't be good," Tholf said. Genpachi nodded after thinking about it for another second. "It wouldn't be good. She... there is something about her that I don't like. I know that my brother wouldn't see it, since he is a good man." Wolf joined us. "And how much longer are we going to be on the road?" he asked Genpachi. "About a week," he answered. "We can't push the bearers any faster than that." Wolf frowned, and he opened his mouth to say something when I spoke over him in the soft tones of a Japanese woman. I did it just to annoy him. "Highborn women don't ride; they travel in a kaga. If we ride, we'll stand out. Right now, we are just one of the many groups of noble women who are being sent to Edo for their safety. If we stand out more than that, it might bring us to the attention of the wrong people. We are already going to be noticed because we have gaijin with us. We have you dressed so that you don't stand out too much, but your coloring might give any of you away, but I don't think that anyone could truly guess who you 313
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are. I don't doubt that there are spies along this road, making note of who is here and trying to figure out what clan they belong to. That is why we are traveling without any sign of who Mother and Hamaji really are." "And are you considering yourself a noble lady?" Wolf asked me in English. He was clearly tired and upset, and the way I had spoken to him didn't help. He had winced when he realized I was using the woman's dialect. Tholf took one look at my face and mumbled something; not wanting to deal with whatever argument was going to happen, he quickly went back into the inn. Genpachi looked angry, but he was going to let me defend myself. "I would like to point out that there is no place for me in my lord's Hatamoto," I said quietly. "And while it would be acceptable to go onto the field as a page for my lord or Samojirou-sama, they do not want me to. Samojirou-sama made their wishes on that matter very clear in that meeting." "You're sleeping with the man," Wolf said softly, almost coldly. "You can at least call him by his first name." "What I do or do not do is none of your business," I said, matching his tone of voice. "I know their reasons. And I agree with them." "You do know," Genpachi said, looking worried and relieved at the same time. "Not everything," I said slowly, not wanting to talk about this in front of Wolf. "But enough. And I don't think that I want to know everything, do I?" Genpachi looked at me, his eyes sad. "'We didn't know' isn't a good explanation," he said quietly. "He was always a 314
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tight-mouthed bastard. I'm surprised Dousetsu knew as much as he did." I shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. And I won't put you in the awkward position of asking you the truth. I'm going to retire." I started to walk out of the garden and stopped at the edge, turning to face them again. "Wolf, I know that you didn't think that I made the right decision, but seeing what has happened, I know that I did. If I had stayed with you, I'd be dead by now." With that I walked back to the room I was sharing with the women. **** Mason We got into Edo about noon on the sixth day on the road. We had to wait in line to get in, because there was some sort of screening process going on. It was hot, and I didn't envy the samurai in their full armor. I was hot, tired, and wanting off this damn horse. Wolf looked tired, too, and I wondered how hot it was in those traveling boxes the chicks were in. It was a good thing we were dressing in kimono and some sort of weird coat over our armor, or I figured we'd never get through this checkpoint. "So how long does this take?" I asked the guy next to me, Tadanori. Tadanori was one of Tamazusa's samurai. I had gotten to know the guys over the last week or so. I was surprised that they didn't seem to be too peeved that they weren't either defending Tamazusa's ass on her run or out defending her 315
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borders somehow. But they told me that it was also an honor to guard Fuse, especially after the shit we pulled last time we were here. I was still confused about the time change between the Dreamlands and back home. The Trust's first "visit" to the Dreamlands had been a year ago for them, while it had only been a couple of weeks for us. It made my head hurt just to think about it. But it did explain how I thought Keno had grown an inch or so in height and built up some muscles. Changes that wouldn't happen in a few weeks. Tadanori shrugged. "It usually isn't this crowded. But then, Nippon hasn't been at war before." I shook my head, feeling guilty because I hadn't seen the Trustees pulling this shit. But then, fuck, I really didn't think they would try it. Seriously, I spent a lot of time on the road thinking about it while I was getting reacquainted with how to ride a horse. Not that I had spent a lot of time on one as a kid, but I had done some riding. Wolf, the bastard that he was, seemed to be as good at riding a horse as he was at everything else. Tholf and Helga ended up walking half of the time, because these horses seemed to be a bit smaller than the ones I grew up with, so they were a little big for the horses. We slowly moved forward until we were at the front of the line. Genpachi was handling all the paperwork and anything else we needed to get into the city. I wasn't surprised that the guards seemed to know him. I had a feeling that he was familiar with the men who patrolled Edo as well as every dive and bar in the city. With luck, he'd show me some of them. 316
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Wolf moved back to me, listening to what was going on. "They seem to be a bit upset that he's got a bunch of Northerners with him. And they think that you're a Northerner too." I shook my head but was glad the guards didn't have a clue about who we were. If they did, Fuse's protection or not, they would have strung us up. "Genpachi is saying that he's bringing his mother and his sister by marriage to stay with his other sister by marriage." Wolf listened for a second. "I didn't know that Inumura was married." "Daikaku? Wow. But think about it, these guys don't seem to be the marrying type." Wolf thought about it for a second. "That is strange. But...." "Shit, I ain't saying that they don't like women, but they don't seem to be the type to settle down." "I don't know, but these people seem to be very impressed that Fuse-hime is here," Wolf said, and then he grinned. "They're now making mother-in-law jokes." I grunted. "Some things seem to be universal." I guessed that was the end of it, because they started waving us forward. We rode through crowded streets that twisted more than Boston's. I got lost after a couple of minutes and hoped I wouldn't have to get out of here in a hurry. Soon we were going into what even I figured out was the really high-class section of the town. I wasn't too shocked when we stopped in front of a place that covered a city block 317
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or two and had a really high wall and a dozen guards in front of it. Genpachi called out something to the guys there, and they opened the gates for us. While not as heavily fortified as Tamazusa's place out in the middle of nowhere, it still was impressive. For people who had been at peace for centuries, they really seemed to believe in being very well-defended. We ended up in a courtyard that I knew was surrounded by a bunch of snipers who were willing to take us out if we turned out to be the bad guys. For the next couple of minutes, things were a bit confusing. We got off our horses, and people came to take them away. All the samurai seemed to disappear, which would have gotten me nervous but I figured they were being taken to their barracks or something. The ladies weren't getting out of their boxes, which confused me until another lady showed up, trailed by a couple of maids. I guessed this was Daikaku's wife. She was pretty and tall, and she dressed kind of plainly. Fuse and Hamaji got out of their box, looking like they just got into it, rested and unwrinkled. Keno emerged gracefully from the other one, while Wolf insisted on helping McGann out. "Mother!" the newcomer cried out, bowing to her. "It is so good to see you!" "I hope that you don't mind our visit, Hinaginu-chan," Fuse told her, bowing back. Hamaji hugged her, ignoring the bowing shit, since the woman seemed to be a hugger. While Hamaji was bouncy and cute, this woman seemed a lot more serious, like her 318
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husband. I wondered if they had met at the local library or something like that. "And I would like to introduce you to Sakura-dono, Samojirou-sama's consort," Fuse said. "As well as Dieter Wolf, McGann Caitlynn, and Kairns Mason, as well as Grimasson Tholf and Liefsdaughter Helga." "I'm pleased to meet you," the woman chimed, bowing deeply at each of us. "I am Inumura Daikaku's wife Inumura Hinaginu." "I am honored to meet you," Wolf told her in Japanese, returning her bow. "Please accept the hospitality of my husband," she told us and clapped her hands. At that signal a bunch of people started herding us indoors. **** Keno We were escorted inside, assigned rooms, and then taken to the baths. I was assigned a room next to Mason and Wolf, with McGann in the room beyond theirs. Tholf ended up with Genpachi, and I didn't know what happened to Helga, nor did I care. I knew Fuse and Hamaji were put in a set of rooms near Hinaginu. After we washed up and changed, we all ended up getting served a late lunch/early supper. All I knew was that I was hungry, and food was welcome no matter what time of the day it was. As soon as the food was served, the maids disappeared so that we could talk in privacy. 319
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"Mother, how is my husband?" Hinaginu asked in an even tone. I would have thought that she didn't care, but there was a shine to her eyes I didn't think was the candlelight. "As far as I know, he was going to see what he could on the southern borders of Tamazusa's kuni," Fuse shared. "What is the word about Kyushu?" Genpachi asked. "We've been on the road and have heard nothing. The inns and the merchants knew nothing. And there weren't too many merchants, either. I don't know if they are staying in Edo, too scared to move, or thinking or leaving Nippon altogether." Hinaginu frowned. "I haven't heard anything, but my contacts are more worried about Nara and Kyoto. They are afraid that they will be burnt in the fighting. They have started to move the scrolls and hide the treasures." "That would be a terrible tragedy," Fuse said. "I don't think that these fuckers are going to be too worried about keeping your historical stuff safe, so that's a smart move," Mason said. "But aren't they probably going to go for that other island before hitting here?" "Shikoku. They should," Wolf said. He shook his head. "I'm surprised that you know that place." "Hey! Tamazusa was nice enough to explain that shit to me back at Shino's place," Mason protested. "While the Emperor isn't there," I said, "Kyoto falling would be a terrible tragedy." I frowned, wondering how I was going to tell Hinaginu to expect Samojirou. I mentally counted the days. If I had my math right, Tamazusa would be at her shoen right now. I just didn't know how long it would take her 320
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to do whatever she had to do or if Aboshi would even be in any shape to visit me. "Samojirou-sama might check on Sakura-dono to see if we arrived safely," Fuse said, saving me the trouble. "You know of his talent of walking the shadows." Hinaginu nodded. "Should I also prepare a room for Tamazusa-sama?" "I think that won't be needed," Fuse said. "She will be joining the Hakkenshi to defend Nippon. Samojirou-sama will be used for carrying messages between us." She smiled. "I think that he can be persuaded to have your husband accompany him if you wish." Hinaginu blushed, but said nothing. McGann was frowning, thinking about something. "Would Samojirou-sama be able to go to Kyushu?" she asked. "I don't think that it would be dangerous to him." She was silent for a moment, gauging our reaction. She was confused that we didn't seem to be giving her one. "While what was used to poison the island was deadly, I am pretty certain that the effects will not linger." "Can you be sure of that?" I demanded. "Do you know what they used? Or are you guessing about that? I know that there's a big difference between mustard gas and sarin." "That is something that can be discussed later," Fuse said. "But both Aboshi-sama and myself have been to Kyushu several times." She paused, biting her lip, before continuing softly. "That was where I met you, Sakura-chan." "The castle was lovely," I said, remembering the event. It was my second public outing as Sakura, and we had gone to 321
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see an ikebana exhibit that was in Nakatsu. I wondered if the building was still standing and if the flowers were still blooming. "I hope that I can see it again. But you can't walk the shadows." She smiled at me. "You know that Yatsufusa and I do manage to travel almost as extensively as Samojirou-sama. We could be used as scouts in Kyushu also." "Are you fucking high?" Mason snarled. We were all slightly shocked at his reaction. "Shit, those fuckers know what you look like! Also, they'll grab your old man, and it won't be pretty what they'll do to him. Fuck, you all better stay as far away as you can from those assholes, even Samojirou." "I assure you that Yatsufusa can protect me," Fuse protested. "I think that you better listen to him, Mother," Hinaginu said after giving Mason a thoughtful look. "He knows our enemy. And while his analysis of the situation is crude, you know what they did to you before. If they managed to capture Father, they will use their science to examine him. And they will kill him before they learn anything." "Why?" I asked. Hinaginu shrugged. "Our enemy will use their science to try and understand magic. Do you think that they will succeed? Or worse, they will hand our parents over to the Egyptians or whoever joins them in this matter, to tell them how the magic works. If they even believe in such a thing." "Magic got their asses here," Mason told her. "You'd think that those fuckers would believe in it after that." 322
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"I have learned that people have a hard time believing in some things," Hinaginu said. "Or believe too easily." She sighed and shook her head. "But I fear that the fight ahead of us is worse than all the battles that have happened in the past. These people seem to be clever enough to thwart the limitations the Dreamlands place upon us. I fear that what they do, even when we manage to drive them from our lands, will alter Nippon forever." "Hinaginu," Hamaji said, "we will adapt. You know that we will. Remember Edo?" Both women shuddered at the same time. "Are you saying that this new enemy is less fearsome than the noble ladies we had to deal with?" Hinaginu asked her. "Probably," Hamaji said, wrinkling her nose. "I hated having to be in Edo. And Shino never understood why." "I don't understand?" McGann asked, curious and slightly confused. "I fear that both my daughters by marriage were illequipped to deal with Edo's society in the real world," Fuse said. "But they are the only daughters who have joined their husbands in the Dreamlands." Genpachi shrugged. "If my wife is here, then she is wise in being as far away from me as possible. Let me just say she wasn't happy with a former ronin as her husband." He laughed bitterly. "But at least I didn't get stuck with the raging bitch that you did, Keno. My wife was just a bitch." "I was married?" I practically squeaked. Mason laughed until tears ran down his face, while McGann and Wolf looked as shocked as I felt. Married? I knew I 323
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shouldn't have been surprised, because Satomi probably used all of us to cement political alliances. And no one had known about my relationship with Samojirou. But it still was a shock to hear that my ancestor had been married. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Fourteen Tamazusa The journey to my kuni was difficult. I was saved part of the trouble by traveling through Inusuka and then Inukawa's kuni. While still not safe, the monsters hesitated in attacking such a large band of men. I wasn't surprised to see that Aboshi was at my side constantly, unwilling, I thought, to believe that I was safe. We parted company with the Hakkenshi who accompanied us on the journey. They went to the north while my people boarded a small river craft to go west. It was not to say that the journey was easier this way, but it was faster. The sailors pretended not to notice that I was a woman. It was easy because I was armored as my samurai were. I was also kept out of sight as much as they could manage. Those who caught a glimpse of me probably thought I was a pretty page Aboshi had brought along for his amusement. "Okita-san has retreated to the town of Nagahama," Aboshi told me as we sailed down river. "He has left Takehitosan charge of the defense against Iida." I saw the ravages the monsters had caused. I shuddered. There would be famine in the land; I had waited too long to reclaim it. I had reserves to cover the expense of buying food for my people that remained, but I also knew there would be hunger and refugees, those fleeing the Southerners. "Fuse-hime wisely transferred all that mattered from the shoen to there," he continued. 325
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"All that could leave, have?" I asked him, trying to sound calm. There were too many who were tied to the land there, the kashin and kodama that served me there. "They withdrew to their essence," Aboshi assured me. "Unless someone there decides to burn the place to ashes, most of them will be safe." He was quiet for a moment. "The road between the town and the shoen is thick with monsters. It will not be easy to deal with them, even after you are done." "If the kuni will have me back," I whispered. "I have acted foolishly." "You... why did you accept Iida's offer?" Aboshi asked softly. "I was curious," I said. I had had a lot of time to think about this and curse myself for my weakness. "And it was flattering. I thought that I was the one who was in control, while all the time he was laughing at me." I was silent. "I should have known... there was something off in his manner, but I thought that it was from the fact that he was not of our time. Not that he was planning to betray me in the manner that he did." "You claim that you weren't lonely," Aboshi said. "But... Mason?" His tone of voice was a combination of mild outrage, amazement, and curiosity. I laughed, since he had sounded more upset just now than when I had agreed to accompany Mawatari and started this disastrous adventure. "He is amusing," I said, knowing what he was asking. Was I interested in Mason as a consort? While I called Aboshi that, 326
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he was more a councilor, my karo more than my lover. I doubted that I wanted Mason as a lover, either, but he could be a friend. And I knew I had few enough of those. "And while you might not believe it, he was respectful toward me on our journey. He could have taken advantage of my situation, since he did claim to be my protector." I waited a beat before adding, "And we did share a bed." That last bit of information stunned Aboshi into silence. "He did what?" he finally managed to choke out. "The Northerners thought that it was better if the two skraelingjar kept each other occupied," I said lightly, before getting serious. "Keno-chan had managed to keep us alive. I don't know how, but I know he is the only reason we survived. When we were found on that island, we were both cold, almost frozen from the waters there. Mason kept me alive by sharing his body's warmth with me. He... let me just tell you that he was very kind to me in a time that I needed kindness." "Keno?" Aboshi asked quietly. "Wolf took care of him," I said. I sighed. "The man is impossible at times, but loyal." "Which is why you accepted him as part of your household, as well as Mason." "Mason is just impossible," I told him with a slight smile. "A man who I can trust, though. Also one who has no manners or sense at times," I added wryly. "But a man who seems to like you," Aboshi acknowledged. "I think that he will be good for you." He paused. "We had talked briefly at Inusuka's holding. He seems to think that 327
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you need someone to talk to who isn't overawed by the fact that you are a lord of Nippon. Someone who you could confide in who wasn't one of your retainers or myself. I think that he phrased it as 'someone to bitch at', whatever that means." I think that was the closest he was going to get to saying he approved of my relationship with Mason, no matter what form it took. "He treats me with the same respect that he does McGann," I said. "And I know he respects her intelligence as well as mine. I just feel he is the avatar for the wrong Hakkenshi." Aboshi shook his head at my comment. "I think that poor Inumura is still in shock at that one." I laughed. "And what do you think his wife is going to think when they meet in Edo?" Aboshi joined me in my laughter. **** A day or so later, we weren't laughing. We had come ashore and started our overland journey, stopping about a ri or so from my shoen. It looked deserted and neglected, the buildings projecting an empty aura. The journey had been hard; we had been attacked by numerous small monsters that were more annoying than dangerous, but there had been so many of them. Several of my samurai were slightly injured. We were all tired and dirty, and seeing the state of my shoen made me want to weep. "My lord," Aboshi addressed me formally. "Is it time?" 328
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"It is," I replied softly, knowing what he was asking. Was I ready to claim my kuni again? I was. "We wish you the blessings of the kami, Tamazusa-sama," Seki intoned, bowing deeply. "You are a good lord to us." I was moved by what he had told me. I decided that before now, I had taken for granted their loyalty to me. If they stood by me during this, I felt that I could do anything. I knelt on the ground before them, humbling myself. "I am touched by your faith in me and your support of me, even if I have shown that I was not a wise lord for you." Seki bent over and helped me up, his squad watching us respectfully. "You were trying to gain an ally—or at least not an enemy—in that man. His treachery toward you and Nippon is not your responsibility. I hope that I may be able to help him atone for his disloyalty to his kuni and to Nippon." We all bowed to each other, and I strode forward, Aboshi at my back, protecting me. He would always do so. His loyalty... his love for me... was priceless. As I moved toward my shoen, I felt something change. There was a feeling of electricity to the land and in the air, even though it was hot and still, muggy as if a typhoon were going to hit. I felt as if my skin was being bitten by ants, the closer I got to my goal. I didn't remember this from before. Could it be that I was doomed to fail because I had betrayed my kuni's trust? That I had lost it foolishly, trusting a man, something I had never done in my life aside from Aboshi? I felt like I was moving through water, it was so hard to walk. I struggled to the gate of the shoen and pushed it open with all my strength. I had no idea where Aboshi was, nor did 329
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I care. This was something that I had to do. After a long time of just pushing at that gate, I managed to get it open. I was exhausted, but also pleased. If my cause were truly hopeless, I would never have been able to open that gate. I walked to the center of the courtyard, seeing it overgrown with weeds, the plaster faded and cracked on the buildings and the walls. I threw back my head and shouted, "I claim this kuni, this land, as mine! Mine to rule! Mine to protect! I claim to be its lord. I accept the responsibility and the power. I have the power to protect all that are here!" Suddenly lightning shot through my body. I wanted to scream, but instead bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. This hurt so much, but it was a pleasure too. I fell to my knees, struggling to breathe as I absorbed the power the land was giving me. Mine was a strong kuni. I was surprised no one had tried to claim it before me. Or if they had, they had most likely failed. My brain was on fire, struggling to absorb everything I had to. I labored not to vomit, my stomach rebelling from the pain. Time stopped. I thought that I stopped existing too. There was one last wave of pain, and I felt as if my entire body had exploded and then reassembled itself. I screamed at last, but it was one of relief. My kuni had accepted me again. Aboshi helped me up, looking pale and shaken. "I thought—" he started hoarsely. "I thought that I had lost you again, my lord." 330
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I was aware of others around us, the kashin and kodama who inhabited this place. They all gathered around us and then as one, knelt. "We welcome you back, Tamazusa-sama," Yukiko said formally. "Sleep again," I instructed, "For while I have my kuni now, Nippon is at war." They looked shocked, and there were soft murmurs of astonishment from all of them at the news. "We will do as you order," Yukiko said. She hesitated for a moment, before asking shyly, "Sakura? He is well?" "We sent him to Edo," Aboshi told her. She nodded her head, pleased with the decision. "He is a blossom that is also not meant for war." Yukiko turned to her fellow spirits, calling out. "It is time to sleep still!" I felt her joy, though, and watched as they all faded. Yukiko bowed to us again. "We all look forward to your return, Tamazusa-sama. We will wait until that time." She faded at that. I turned and walked out my gate, feeling stronger at every step, drawing strength from my land. I felt almost drunk with the return of my power. But I also felt the land quieting, the small monsters scattering and becoming docile. There would still be trouble with the more dangerous ones, but I would deal with them when I had to. I regretted that I could not manage to send them to my enemies in Kyushu, just to hope that they turned on Iida's army. "To Okita-san?" Aboshi asked. 331
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It would be a long walk, but one that I needed. Nagahama was a few ri away from my shoen, an easy ride in an ox cart. It would be a hot march in armor. And there might be those monsters foolish enough to attack us. I was still in danger until I reached my castle town. I smiled up at him, feeling like I could run the entire way and not tire or overheat. "To Okitasan," I agreed. "But I think that he knows I was successful in reclaiming the kuni." Aboshi shrugged. He knew that the man was loyal to me... to us. Else he would not be standing here. Okita had chosen to help him rather than wrestle my kuni under his own control. "All will know soon." "And tomorrow we march north to drive Iida into the sea," I said. "Then we must move south to defend Honshu." "The lords are being rallied, even as we speak," Aboshi said. "But I fear that this will be a long and bloody battle to drive the invaders from Kyushu. Iida's control over his allies will make it a difficult task, if we do not defeat him." I shuddered, remembering the things in the water, how they had almost eaten Keno and me, the choked-off screams of the sailors as they had been eaten by those things. The silence of the Reavers as I felt them disappearing from my awareness, one by one. We had to cross the sea to get to Kyushu, and we needed Iida defeated before that happened. Aboshi touched my hand, his eyes dark and worried. "We will beat him," he promised. I nodded, feeling comforted. I actually had won a victory over the man already. I had control of my kuni again, something I had discovered that he thought was unnatural. 332
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Iida was a man who thought women were meant to be powerless. "I think that a visit to Edo is in your future," I predicted. Once we got to Okita, Aboshi could go to Edo and tell Keno of our success. He smiled at me, and I felt at peace. **** Samojirou Before I left, I made sure Tamazusa was settled in her castle, with Okita to guard her. I felt slightly guilty that I was leaving her to go to Keno. She had scolded me, though. "I also need you to go to our allies and tell them of my success. A regular messenger would take too long," she instructed. "And Keno needs to see you." She was quiet for a moment. "He has been very good about not asking about certain things." "He is curious," I said softly. "And I should say that is a good thing," she told me. "He was very brave in his first battle." "He told me of it," I said. "Including the part that he wasn't able to kill anyone." She nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't think that we have to worry that he is the Inuzaka Keno of old." "I think that he is the man he might have been if he had not taken that vow," I shared. Her face lit up when I said that. "I am so happy about that!" She grew serious again. "And I will make sure that he 333
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doesn't have to worry about that, either. I will make sure that he is not involved in any of the fighting." **** I walked into the shadows of Inumura's Edo castle as easily as I would have walked into my own rooms. In a way I was, since I was only here for Keno. I wasn't surprised that as soon as I walked out of the shadows and into his room, he had flown into my arms. I was glad that I had bathed and changed for him. "Tamazusa holds her kuni again," I announced. That was all that I managed to get out before he pulled me down for a kiss. "I was so worried!" he said. That was all that I was able to say for a while. I didn't miss that he was dressed only in a kimono, and it was barely belted. "I was waiting for you," he whispered. "I knew that you would be coming tonight." Keno was plastered against me, warm and willing and all so needy. I had a flashback to his ancestor telling me the same thing. I involuntarily shuddered. "Samojirou-sama?" Keno asked, a concerned look in his eyes. "You are all right?" I bent down to kiss him again, not wanting to think about anything for a while. He laughed, though, and drew back from me. "I'm feeling very subservient right now," he teased. I didn't know what to say to that. His stare challenged me as he gracefully sunk to his knees. He managed to untie my 334
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obi with his teeth, and I wondered why he had learned that trick. He nuzzled and nipped at the flesh he uncovered and licked my staff lovingly while I tried to figure out why he was doing this. Soon, however, I was so inflamed with passion that I didn't care. I lifted him to his feet to kiss him again, caressing his smooth skin. My thumbs found his nipples, and I stroked them to hardness before bending over to worry them with my teeth. I feared that I was rough with my blossom, but it seemed to inflame his passion, too, as his hands twisted in my hair. I wanted to celebrate that Tamazusa had recovered her kuni. Keno seemed very willing to indulge in any passion I chose tonight. "I fear, blossom, that you are not going to be sitting very comfortably tomorrow," I told him thickly. He laughed, wanton and challenging, touching me all over, lifting my head up so that he could attack my nipples in turn. He was gentler, but he also left his marks on me. I groaned, wondering if I was pushing him too fast even as I led him over to the futon and pushed him down onto his hands and knees. He turned and looked at me with a smile, bending his arms so that his bottom was raised high. I knelt down beside him and bit his left buttock, leaving an impression of my teeth there. I hadn't broken the skin, but I knew that it was going to bruise delightfully. I fumbled about and found the oil. I poured it down his cleft, stroking the skin there gently. He moaned and wiggled when I did this. His moan turned into a groan when I slipped a finger inside, stretching him gently, playing with him. I took care not to 335
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touch that special spot inside of him as I loosened him for both our pleasure. I soon had two fingers in him, and he was begging for more. His pleas were delightful, and I slowly withdrew my fingers, touching his spot as I pulled out, just to hear him scream. I oiled my staff and positioned myself behind him, before slowly sinking into his body. I balanced myself by grasping his hips, delicately as if they were petals on a real flower. When I was fully sheathed in his body, he whimpered softly, turning his chin to look at me, submissive and demanding at the same time. I smiled at him, tracing his spine with my tongue until it reached his neck. He sighed and shivered at my gentleness. It was then that I drew back and thrust back into his body hard, almost brutally. He half-screamed when I did so again, but it was not in pain or fear, rather in ecstasy. He unconsciously arched up to meet my third stroke, and I proceeded to brutally use him. Not that he minded; he was begging for more. "Please... harder... so good, please... please... please!" On his final please, he screamed and bucked underneath me, pouring his seed onto the futon as I drove myself into him harder and faster, almost angrily, until I had my own climax. We collapsed together, a tangled heap of arms and legs. I wasn't surprised that he curled up on me, boneless and sated. "You didn't hurt me," he whispered. "I fear...." 336
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He looked up and placed a finger on my lips. "You needed that. It... I don't want it as a steady diet, but you needed to celebrate that we won something. So what if you rode me hard, as Mason would say. I wanted it." Keno blushed. "I was kind of curious, really." I licked his finger and settled back with his head on my chest. "I can only stay until dawn, my blossom." He kissed my chest, and I hated the sorrow that I heard in his voice. "I know." [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Fifteen Mason Keno and I were wandering around Edo with one of Inumura's samurai, called Noma, as a guide. He looked about sixteen, maybe. I almost asked him if his mama let him stay out late, before remembering that he could kick my ass and was probably centuries old. He was small and wore a really odd kimono from what I could tell. I wasn't surprised to see Keno dressed as a woman, with his whiteface on as well as some sort of hat with a veil that covered most of his face, with his hair tied back in a simple ponytail. I was surprised by how long his hair was. His black outer kimono was unfastened and hung loosely around him, showing off a colorful blue and green, tighter kimono underneath, with a small belt thing tying it closed. I didn't know why he was dressed like that, but from walking around Edo, there seemed to a variety of different styles of kimono and how you wore them for men and women. I was dressed in a dark kimono and loose pants, which they told me were called hakama. I didn't care what they were called; they made me feel like I wasn't going to flash anyone, and so I was happy to wear them. I wasn't wearing a sword, because I knew I couldn't use the thing and even I knew that carrying one around would make people think I could. It felt strange not to be wearing my usual clothing, but that would have made me stick out even more. I was getting 338
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some strange looks as it was, but I knew these people hadn't seen an African American before. "And why are we wandering around, Keno?" I asked. "Because we can," he told me. I heard the grin in his voice, but that damn veil blocked me from seeing his face. It was weird, and I wondered why the hell he was dressed like that. "And Mason-san, just remember that I'm a shy and delicate flower." I got the hint that I was supposed to call him Sakura. I shouldn't forget that, seeing that he was dressed like this, but it was hard. I was getting old. "And shit, just call me Mason." "I wish to explore Edo," Keno said. "I just... I just need to see how it's changed. I know that this isn't close to the Tokyo I grew up in, but I can almost see it sometimes." I believed that, because I doubted the kid had been allowed to wander around like this. I knew Samojirou had stopped by last night, from the sounds I'd heard coming from Keno's room. I was just glad Keno knew that his lover and Tamazusa were all right. I'd felt a twinge when I'd heard that she had gotten her kuni back. I had promised her salsa dancing. I didn't think that was going to happen now, and for some reason, that upset me. "You got any money, Sakura?" I asked. "I do," he said, sounding puzzled at my request. "Why?" "'Cause I think that your sister deserves a nice present for getting her job back," I said. He laughed. "I think that she would be proud of you right now. You managed not to mention anything important in public. You are learning to be discreet." 339
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I laughed, too, even though it sounded off to me. Keno picked up on it, though. I was glad that Noma was wandering slightly ahead of us, not really paying attention to what we were talking about, just keeping an eye on us. "I think that I like your sister the way that she was in the Northlands more than who she is now." Keno was silent for a moment. "She...." "Isn't the same person," I finished for him. "Shit, that sounds stupid. But she was my hot mama for a while." "You didn't call her that to her face?" Keno asked, sounding like he was going to have a heart attack. "Mason...." "She ain't that anymore," I said with a shrug. "She's like my boss now. You don't have that much fun with the boss. McGann, she don't feel like she's that to me now. And shit, you know that she isn't that to Wolf right now, or he wouldn't be actin' like he is. Man's trying to date her or something. Good thing, too, because she's a nice lady, and she needs a nice man, which he is. She told him that she was...." I stopped, wondering why I was willing to let that secret out of the bag after keeping it for so long. Keno didn't seem to notice the slip or he was willing to ignore it. "I think that Wolf would be good for her," Keno said. I was glad he sounded so calm about it, considering he'd had a crush on Wolf forever. I figured finding your True Love or soul mate or whatever the fuck Samojirou was to him got him over Wolf. "Shit, Sakura." "You remembered," Keno murmured sarcastically. "Don't be a smartass," I told him. I wondered how much English Noma knew, because I was pretty sure you weren't 340
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supposed to talk to whatever Keno was like this. If he understood what I was saying, I thought he'd have to kick my ass. "She told him something important that weirds a lot of people out. He didn't freak. End of story. But your sister, man, she's gonna go back to being a cast-iron bitch." "Mason!" Keno snapped, horrified. He should have been used to this from me by now. "It's a good look for her," I continued, ignoring the small conniption fit he was trying not to have. "Not blaming her for it, 'cause she isn't a bad lady that way. I just don't think that she's going to like me teasing her again. Or that we can act like we did on the boat." Keno stopped and looked at me. I was kind of glad that I couldn't see his face, because actually hearing what I had said made me feel like an idiot. Shit, I hadn't sounded this bad when I was a teenager and started dating. Let me tell you, I did some really stupid shit then, but this took the fucking cake. I sounded really pathetic. "Tease her," he said simply. "While she isn't who you want her to be anymore, I think that she likes you." "I figured that one out," I grumbled. "She didn't Jell-O me." I had figured out that she couldn't do it anymore when she lost her kuni, but the lady could have done something like that, if I had pissed her off, just with a knife. And now, I really don't think that she would. I could be wrong, but I doubted it. And I wasn't thinking with my dick, either. I didn't know why I liked the woman, but I did. Could have been that she was smart, kept her cool in a crisis, made the hardass 341
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decisions that she needed to, and was willing to get her hands dirty, literally and figuratively. McGann was the same way, but she was more like my kid sister or something. Tamazusa wasn't. I didn't know what she was, but I knew I wasn't going to think of her as a sister. "You both suck at relationships," Keno said bluntly, like he was an expert. "Why don't we just deal with this later." "Good for me, because I feel like an ass now telling you all this crap," I said. This was about all the sharing I was willing to do right now. **** We ended up at a restaurant that was pretty nice, eating in a private room with a really cute waitress. The food was good, and the sake flowed freely, even though I noticed Keno stuck to tea. We made an odd party, I thought, but Keno gradually drew Noma out, making him comfortable with us, asking him questions about Edo and translating the things we said to each other. Noma didn't know English, and it turned out his Spanish was worse than mine, but that was the only other language he knew. I was getting the vibe that he was oddly flattered by Keno's attention. He disappeared for what I guessed was a trip to the bathroom, and Keno turned to talk to me, shaking his head slightly at something Noma said on his way out the door. Thankfully Keno had taken off that stupid hat for the meal. "What's wrong?" Keno asked.
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"Noma. He isn't getting the wrong impression, is he?" I asked, hating that question, but only hearing half the conversation was a little confusing for me. "And what impression would that be?" he asked, a little pissed, but curious too. Because unlike Wolf, I hadn't given him shit about what he was doing. I just didn't know the rules of the Game that he and everyone else here was playing. He was cutting me some slack because of that. "That he really, really likes you," I didn't know why I was being so coy about it. But I didn't feel comfortable coming out and saying that Noma might want to fuck him. "Being seen with a tayuu raises his standing with the men who see him," Keno said. "A samurai of his stature rarely gets to deal with one, even if he is only escorting me around town. He's flattered by my attention, and he's flirted a little, but we both know that it's not going to go beyond that." "And what the fuck am I?" I asked. "Unarmed and with a shaven head?" he asked with a grin. "A priest maybe. Or just a stranger that Noma may be introducing to me. Or I may be introducing him to you." We heard a bang outside the room. Keno looked up in alarm, and I was halfway to the door when it was kicked in. Overkill on their part, because it was just made out of paper and bamboo. A half dozen really big guys muscled their way in. I got in a couple of punches, but there was too many of them, and the room was too small for me to do any real damage. A couple of them wrestled me to the floor and Keno down beside me, his outfit all torn up from fighting them, with a knife at this throat. I was going to ask what the fuck 343
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was going on, when another guy strode in, stepping over the wreckage of the door easily and acting like he owned the place. "Sakura-chan," the guy practically purred at him, sounding like a villain from a bad B movie. "So nice to meet you here." I was hoping Noma would manage to either rescue us or get help. It was kind of worrisome that he hadn't gotten back from his bathroom run yet. Then I realized that the man was speaking English, and his accent wasn't too bad. "Iida-san," Keno said coolly, like this was some formal meeting. I looked at the guy again, wondering what the fuck was going on. The last thing anyone knew, this Iida was trying to take over Tamazusa's kuni, with her guys holding his army on the beach like it was fuckin' D-Day. Inuta and that little shit Inue were protecting their borders, with occasional raids, and Tamazusa's other neighbors were doing the same thing, so what was he doing here? The sad part was that I would have passed the man on the street without a second glance. He was dressed like everyone else here, in a kimono and hakama. The colors were brighter, reds and oranges, when most of the men seemed to wear blue, brown, or black. He had a pair of swords stuck in his belt, but he didn't look that dangerous. I believed that until I looked into his eyes. The man was made out of hate and something evil, as strange as that sounded. "You seem surprised to see me," Iida said. "My attack is only a feint. It did, however, manage to distract the 344
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Hakkenshi. They didn't see what my other allies were doing until too late." "You lost," I blurted out. "She's got her place back." Iida shrugged. "I can kill the bitch later." The knife at Keno's throat was the only thing that stopped him from trying to kick the man's ass then and there. I unconsciously lunged forward, though, which caused Iida to laugh. "You're fond of her?" he asked me, tilting his head to one side and studying me. "You fuck her?" "None of your goddamned business," I snarled at him. He laughed again and stepped closer to Keno. "Such a pretty flower," he said, stroking the side of his face lightly. Keno cringed and tried to get away from the touch, like it hurt him or something. "Talented, too, it seems. I almost didn't notice you when you played her maid, so mousey and meek. Not looking like the whore that you are now." I struggled to get loose and kick his ass for that one. I had been pissed about what he said about Tamazusa, but him insulting Keno was too much. He laughed, and one of his goons hit me on the back of the head. It was like getting hit with baseball bat. I saw stars for a second and was hoping like hell Noma was getting some help, because I didn't think he could take these guys on his own. "I only need one of you as a hostage," Iida said coolly, glancing between the two of us. I felt like he was going to ask me about my teeth or something, the way he was sizing me up. "And right now, Samojirou's little blossom is the more valuable one. I don't doubt that the Trust would be interested 345
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in you also, but I think that I only need one of you to get Dieter." "Wolf?" Keno almost gasped. I was confused and slightly annoyed, but I didn't think that this guy would fall for the "I don't know nobody called Wolf" routine. What use was he to them? Shit, his grandfather was a Trustee, but there was like a dozen of the fucking things. Aside from Mrs. Adams and him, the rest of them were probably shits. Was this some sort of corporate takeover? Would Wolf be used to make sure that his grandfather didn't have a shitfit and do something about whoever had taken over Kyushu and stop them? Or rat them out to whatever government actually gave a shit about what we were doing? "Using you would make sure that both that Samojirou and Dieter don't spoil my plans," he continued with an evil smile. I was kind of hoping he'd do the classic villain thing and explain what was going on to us, because he was acting like a slimy villain in every other way, but he just shut up after that and stared at us, debating what to do next. I kept my mouth shut for once. Iida smiled, and my blood ran cold, but I was relieved when the next words out of his mouth were, "Take them both." What sucked was that one of his assholes hit me on the back of the head to knock me out. I just knew that I was going to have a killer headache when I woke up again. **** Keno 346
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I woke up in a small room with Mason. We had both been tossed on the floor and stripped down to our underwear. I shuddered at the thought of Iida undressing me. I knew that he had done that just because he could, so that he could touch all the bruises I had from making love with Samojirou. But mostly because he knew it would upset me. I sat up slowly, aware of the fact that my head felt like it was going to roll off my shoulders and that my mouth was dry and nastytasting. After a few minutes, Mason groaned and sat up, looking a little gray. I noticed there was a really nasty lump on the back of his head, "Fucking asshole," Mason groaned. I didn't know if he meant the man that hit him or Iida. Knowing him, probably both of them. "Hopefully Noma managed to get help." "I don't know," I said. Iida had only had me knocked out after he had told me what had happened to Noma. "Iida told me that he might survive his injuries, if someone got him help quickly enough." "Shit, I hope so," Mason said, standing up slowly. "He's a nice kid." "He left a note on Noma," I continued, also standing up, glad the room wasn't swimming around me. "It instructed Wolf as to where he could find us." "And he's stupid enough to fall for something like that," Mason groaned. "With any luck, McGann will manage to talk some sense into the man." "And he brings someone with him," I added. Genpachi or another of my brothers, I hoped. I just wondered how he would be able to get in touch with them. I wondered how long 347
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we had been unconscious, too, because for all I knew, Wolf was a prisoner here too. "What the fuck is he doing?" Mason asked. I took me a second to realize that he was talking about Iida. "I don't know," I said. "I had thought that he wasn't working with the Trust, but now I'm not too sure." "He could be trading favors with them," Mason said, looking thoughtful. "My question is who in the Trust is he dealing with?" "Who knows?" I answered. "I really didn't pay attention to that stuff. I don't even know their names or anything like that. The only one that I knew was Collins. And I wasn't around when Tamazusa-sama questioned him." Mason winced when I said that. I knew why, too. He knew that Tamazusa hadn't sat down and had tea with the man to get the information she wanted. I knew she had his skull someplace in her bedroom. I didn't know what happened to the rest of the body. "I wonder where the fuck we are, 'cause I think that the man would have trouble getting us out of Edo. It was a bitch to get in." "That still leaves a lot of territory for people to search," I pointed out. "I know," he grumbled. "I feel like a fucking idiot." "You feel stupid?" I posed. "Samojirou-sama sent me to Edo to keep me out of trouble and safe." And even if I didn't like it, I didn't blame Mason for laughing. **** 348
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I didn't know how long we were held in that room. Mason seemed kind of uncomfortable that we were both only in our underwear. I was surprised. I also thought the issue might be that we were being held prisoner and there wasn't a way out. We both had examined the room, looking to escape. It was empty, the walls and floor made of some sort of pale wood, without any windows, and had a heavy teak door. I didn't even know if we were still in Edo. That worried me. He could have taken us anywhere. And using us as bait to get Wolf wasn't a good idea either. I didn't think he'd go berserk or anything, but he'd be angry. And even I knew that an angry Wolf wasn't a good thing. Iida showed up after a while. He swept into the room, followed by a couple of his retainers. I wasn't surprised to see that Mawatari wasn't among them. I would have bet he was the man who was leading the attack on Tamazusa's forces. But there was something odd about the men who were with Iida, like the ones on the boat. I couldn't place it, but even for the Dreamlands, there was something off about these men. "I expected to see Wolf by now." Iida smirked at me. I shrugged. He frowned. "I'm surprised that you didn't know how he felt about you." "How he felt about me?" I echoed, thinking that I must have looked as stupid as I felt. The man had told me he was never going to feel like that about me. So why was Iida hinting that Wolf had been lying to me?
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Mason looked interested in that for a second before he hid it. Unfortunately, Iida saw it also. "So that quack was right!" he exclaimed. "Quack?" I asked. What did a duck have to do with this? "Wolf likes the kid," Mason said slowly, almost reluctantly. "It was killing him that he stayed here, but you knew that." Iida smiled. "My informants in your organization mentioned that either one of you would be good bait for him. You've worked with him for years, and he considers you a good friend, one of the few that he has. The boy... well, he seemed to be in love with him." "Wolf?" I almost gasped, wondering what was going on. "He was very attentive to you on the journey here," Iida told me. "Did you not think that odd?" I thankfully didn't blurt out that he had been checking on McGann all those times. I didn't want her to be involved in this mess. "And since Samojirou seems to be fond of you also," Iida continued. "I can use you to get to him. Killing him would weaken that bitch's hold on her kuni. The fool didn't bother to claim it when he thought that you both were dead, even though he has the strength to do so. Neither did any of the other idiots who follow her. I'd have thought that one of them was intelligent enough to make a grab for power once she was gone. Instead, they let a woman rule them!" Neither one of us knew what to say, because Mason was silent too. I was seething with rage. I hated being used, and I was annoyed that Iida seemed to have gotten the wrong information about Wolf and me. Who had been his source? 350
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Iida stepped closer to me, openly ogling me. "I can see the attraction that both of them have for you," he said. "You're almost as pretty as that bitch is." He reached out a hand to touch me, and I involuntarily stepped back from him. I didn't want him to touch me, even more than I had ever wanted to avoid Fairinox for the same reason. Both men were unclean, but in different ways. I'd had a hard time not screaming when he'd touched me back at the inn. "You know, don't you?" he asked. "Know what?" I asked. I knew something was wrong with the man. That was all. And it wasn't something I had ever sensed before, even with all the people I had met with Samojirou. How had he managed to hide that from me all the times we had met before? "Don't play dumb," he said gaily. That was scarier than if he had snarled it. "I really don't know what you're talking about," I told him truthfully. "Kid don't have a reason to lie to you," Mason said. Iida looked over at Mason, a slight smile on his face. "You know he is the reason that they survived the ocean. Even those winged beasts couldn't save her." Mason shrugged. "Not knowing the payload of the fucking things, I couldn't tell you shit about that." "So how did you survive the storm?" Iida asked me, ignoring Mason's answer.
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I shook my head. "I don't know. The ship started to break up, and the next thing I remember is that I woke up on some farm." "In the Northlands?" Iida asked. I nodded, not seeing any reason to lie. "Interesting. I thought that you would be driven west, not north. I wonder why you went in that direction?" "I don't know," I repeated. I didn't, but I bet that it had something to do with Mason and Wolf being there. I still couldn't figure out how we had gotten through the barrier, but I had wanted to go home so badly I was glad that it happened. Tamazusa had also, I had seen that in her eyes. She probably had been the one to push us through. "What does it matter?" "It matters," Iida told me with a grin. "It matters whether or not I keep you or turn you over to those idiots at the Trust. Fools think that they will be able to live here. They don't know what they have gotten into. That is the most amusing part of all this." "What the fuck are you talking about?" Mason asked. Iida laughed. "Another fool. Why are you here? Why did Samojirou-sama trust you with his precious Sakura-chan? Or should I say 'Inuzaka Keno'." Mason shrugged, playing the part of the fool he was called perfectly, it seemed to me. "Sakura or Keno, the kid's a friend, and I offered to look after him. If his boyfriend has some sort of flower fixation, shit, ain't no harm in giving him a nickname. Don't know why everyone gets excited at the name Keno." 352
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Iida frowned, thinking about his answer. "There is something here that my allies haven't bothered to tell me." "You seem to be as thrilled with the fuckers as I am," Mason observed. "But that still doesn't make me want to trust you." Iida grinned evilly. "So tell me why, do you know why you are with Inumura's wife?" Mason kept silent. I guessed he was trying to think up a good lie. I decided that telling Iida the truth would be better, just not all of it. "Fuse-hime has decided to stay with her daughter by marriage," I said. "And Samojirou-sama begged a favor of the lady to take me with her. And since Wolf and Mason would be useless to either Samojirou-sama or Tamazusa-sama in their Hatamoto, they decided to send them with me." If Iida didn't know or care about McGann, I wasn't going to tell him about her. Thankfully, Mason kept his mouth shut. Why wouldn't he? It was the truth. Sort of. Leaving out the facts that both he and Wolf were avatars of my brothers and that I wasn't too sure who I was supposed to be anymore. "An interesting answer, and one that shows your ignorance," Iida said. "And it's well-known that the princess Fuse and Samojirou are close. I was surprised that she was willing to ally with him, though. But that might have to do with you, Sakura-chan." "The alliance would be with Tamazusa-sama," I blurted out. "Not Samojirou-sama. But I think that the two of them played that Game to see what happened and to amuse themselves." 353
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"They would," Iida snarled. "Women think that they have the power and the skill to play the Game. Their posturing sickens me." I stared at the man, wondering what had happened to him that he seemed to hate women so much. But from what I was feeling, he seemed to be made of hate. I wonder if Samojirou and Tamazusa had been like this in the beginning of their time in the Dreamlands. If he survived, would Iida's hate be tempered as theirs had been? Was this why he was in the Dreamlands—he had managed to hate so thoroughly that he had turned himself into an oni? Or was the evil I felt in him because he had given himself to dark and dangerous things, beings that even tengu were reluctant to deal with? Hate and evil... had I been like this once? "Tamazusa's a cast-iron bitch," Mason started. Iida seized upon that statement. I didn't know if Mason had said that just to get some sort of information from the man or not. "You understand what I am talking about! Women," he said, glaring at me, "and those who ape them, were meant to serve, not rule. I'll make the bitch howl when I see her again!" "You say bitch like it's a bad thing," Mason snarled at Iida, getting closer to him. "Fuck, I'm gettin' her the T-shirt that says that. You so much of a girlie-boy that you can't stand a woman who has a bigger set of balls than you do? She may be a bitch, but she's my bitch, so shut the fuck up!" Iida snarled and punched him. I wasn't surprised that Mason was knocked back five feet to land against the wall and then sort of slide down it, stunned. He shook his head and 354
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spit out a mouthful of bloody saliva. I was surprised there weren't teeth in it too. Mason just grinned at him. "A little too close to the truth, asshole?" Iida snarled and stomped out of the room. I went over and helped Mason up. "I don't think that was a good idea," I said. "It was so fuckin' worth it to see him lose it." Mason grinned but quickly sobered up. "Plus, shit, he don't like chicks. And I don't mean in the way that you and Samojirou don't seem to like them. Man has one hard-on of hate in him." "He's evil," I blurted out. Mason looked at me like I was insane. "Can't you feel it?" "Man's an asshole, and that's all I feel," Mason said. "Don't mean that I think that you're full of shit about that. Just means that I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." He was silent for a moment. "I know that he's creeping you the fuck out." "It's more than that," I said. I had my own moment of silence, thinking about what I had just guessed. "What do you know about why Tamazusa-sama is here?" Mason looked at me, and I could see him thinking. I let him, not really wanting to talk about this, but not being able to explain it any other way. After a short while he shrugged. "I think that she mentioned some shit about a dude named Satomi. She told me a little." I nodded. "I think that Iida might be an oni." Mason frowned and felt his jaw gingerly. "That would explain why the fucker has a punch like a damned mule." He looked at me, and I realized there were a lot of things he 355
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wasn't telling me. I wasn't mad that he was keeping secrets from me. Those things happened sometimes. But now wasn't the time to demand the truth from him. "We just got to figure out who he's dealing with. Fuck, I hate all this crap. I ain't one for figuring out this shit. Just point me where you want me to go, and I'll take care of those fucking monsters for you. Planning and plotting, shit, that's what Trustees do, and I'm sure as fuck not one of them!" [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Sixteen Samojirou I arrived in Keno's room slightly before dusk. I was hoping to see my lover. Who I found was Wolf and Inukai Genpachi. Wolf looked frantic. Inukai looked... neutral was the only word that I could think of. "I told you he'd be here," Inukai told Wolf calmly. Wolf glared at him. He wasn't used to Inukai's annoying habit of knowing far too much about things that he shouldn't. "Read this," Wolf practically snarled, thrusting a piece of parchment in my hand. "Their calligraphy is terrible," I snapped, giving it a quick glance. "Where is my consort?" "Read it," Inukai ordered after Wolf winced at the word "consort." I did. The ink was cheap and ran in the oddest places. The kanji looked like it had been written by a child or one that wasn't fluent in written Japanese, and there were spots of blood on it. I frowned, trying to piece together whatever it was trying to say. When I did, I snarled, a sound that would rival Yatsufusa at his finest. It was a message from Iida, who claimed to have Keno and Mason prisoner. "He dares!" "He's an idiot," Inukai agreed with me, "but one who has no real knowledge of the prizes he has. And an idiot who is willing to tell us where to find him." 357
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"It does say nothing about Wolf being alone," I said, trying to calm down. I wanted to kill Iida for what he had done. Inukai grinned at me. "So you will join us?" "You even have to ask that question?" I snarled. "While I don't think he can take care of this himself, it would be rude not to take the man up on his kind invitation." Wolf looked at the two of us as if we were insane. I could have been. I had just gotten Keno back, only to have him snatched away again! I was glad I was still in my armor; I had been too eager to see him to bother taking it off. "I know the place that he has taken them," Inukai said. "It has a bad reputation." "It's a trap," Wolf said. I rolled my eyes, wondering how intelligent he was. "Of course it's a trap!" Inukai said. "But we just have to figure out what the real trap was, where he is now, and if he has done something to the prisoners." "Where did you find this?" I asked. "On the samurai who was escorting them around town," Wolf said. "From what he has told us, he was attacked in the bathroom by something that wasn't human. Then Mason and Keno were kidnapped. But why?" "I will not tell you why Sakura-chan is a valuable hostage," Inukai told him patiently. "Mason-san, that is the puzzle. I think that it has something to do with you rather than who he is." Wolf looked confused. "But Keno—" "Is not known by that name," I said. "Or he should not be. It would be very bad for him if others knew who he was." 358
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"He will not believe you," Inukai said. "He doesn't have to believe me," I retorted. "Just so that he understands that if he keeps calling Keno by his true name, tragedy will follow. I was always aware of who he was, which is why I insisted on the masquerade that I did." **** Mason I wasn't surprised that two of Iida's big fuckers dragged me out of our cell after backhanding Keno across the room. That was the only thing that stopped him from going after these guys. "I think that you're going to be good bait," Iida said as he had me hauled up on some sort of post. "Fuck off," I growled. He laughed, which pissed me off. "I don't think that you'll be so defiant in a few hours." "Pissed that Wolf ain't following your game plan?" I asked. "My heart fuckin' bleeds for you." Iida shook his head and just left me. Which didn't sound bad until I realized that after a couple of minutes, my arms were numb from being twisted above my head and my shoulders were killing me. And I'd had too much time to think about what was being done to Keno and if Wolf was going to be stupid enough to fall for this. I knew he would, because he thought that he owed me or something. Shit, Logan had been right. Wolf was a good man. And he'd walk into this fuckin' trap because of that. 359
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I had my eyes closed and was trying to shift into a more comfortable position, which I swear I had been doing for fuckin' hours, when I heard Samojirou hiss, "Don't touch him." I opened my eyes. Wolf, Samojirou, and Inukai were standing in front of me, dressed in dull, black armor. Wolf looked really good in that Japanese stuff. "Shit," was the only thing that I could say. Came out more as a croak really. "Sakura-dono?" Inukai asked. Wolf gave me some water, and I drank it down before saying, "That bastard knows. Fuck if I know how, but shit, he knows. Fucker's double crossing the fucking Trustees too." Samojirou looked beyond pissed at that little tidbit. "Where is he?" "I think that he's over in the main building over there," I said, pointing with my chin. "This is going to hurt," Inukai told me. I didn't know what the fuck he was talking about until he untied my arms and moved them. I screamed like a motherfucker then. Wolf stuffed a shirt over my mouth to muffle it, but I didn't think it really worked. "You do know that we were trying to be discreet here?" Samojirou asked acidly. "He knows that we're here," Inukai snapped. "Why else would be leave Mason out like this? We just have to go after your blossom now." "Asshole's eyeing him funny," I said when I could catch my breath. My arms felt like they were on fire with the pins and needles. Wolf was rubbing them to get some sort of feeling 360
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into them. He stopped for a second when I spoke, and I could almost feel how pissed he was. "And he's freaking out about something with the guy. I don't know what's bugging him, but it's something bad." "The man is evil," Inukai said. "I don't think that he's a man," I said. "That's what was freaking the kid the fuck out." No one said anything else after that. Wolf draped one of my arms over his shoulder. "We have to find Keno and get out of here," he said. Inukai frowned. "And where would he be that would anger you the most?" Samojirou looked at him, beyond pissed, it seemed to me. It looked like he wanted to lose it right then and there. "That thing's rooms," he snarled. "And where are those?" I asked. "Up," Wolf said quietly. "How the fuck do you know that?" I asked. "He's been watching you the entire time," Inukai told me. "Motherfucker," I snarled weakly. It fucking figured that he'd have done something like that. But I felt a lot better. I looked up, and I swear that asshole Iida waved at me, wiggling his fingers as he hung over the rail of a balcony a couple of stories up. I was proud of the fact that I managed to get one of my arms up high enough so that he saw me giving him the finger. Samojirou didn't say anything. He marched into the building, walking a little too fast. I heard the clash of steel as soon as he got into the doorway. 361
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"Watch after him," Inukai told Wolf, following Samojirou inside. I straightened up. "Let's get Keno's ass out of here." **** Keno I'd been hit so hard, I had passed out after Mason was taken out of our cell. When I woke up, I was in someone's room with an aching head, but I was indecently relieved that I still had my fundoshi on. I heard a pained scream from outside that made me roll off what I had been lying on and stumble to my feet. It had sounded like Mason. I was a little dizzy, but I could fight if I had to. I just had to figure out where I was. The room was in Western style with a fourposter bed, which was what I had been on. The room didn't have much else in it besides that. There was a door and a balcony door, but nothing more. "They've come," Iida called out from the balcony. I glanced around the room, looking for some sort of weapon, which I didn't find. What I noticed instead was one of Iida's big guys in the room with me, approaching me with his hands out. He just grinned at me and lunged, like he was trying to catch a chicken. I dodged out of his way, knowing that once he got his hands on me, I'd be in deep trouble. He stumbled, and I darted around him and then pushed from behind so he was further off balance. It worked and he fell flat on his face. "Stop fooling around," Iida ordered. 362
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I ran to the door, yanking it open because it was a hinged Western-style type and ended up running right into another of Iida's henchmen. I tried to dart around him, but the guy filled up the entire door. He grabbed me by my arm, spun me around, and then twisted my arm behind me. "Don't bruise Samojirou-sama's blossom too badly," Iida told him. The man grunted and frogmarched me out to the balcony, while the man I had pushed was up on his feet and glaring at me when I went past him. Iida pushed my hair out of my face, making me shudder. "So pretty," he cooed. "Would he like you if you weren't as pretty?" A knife magically appeared in his hand, and he stroked it gently down my face, the point tracing some sort of pattern over my cheek but not breaking the skin. "What's your connection with the Trustees?" I whispered, trying not to sound as scared as I felt. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Wouldn't you like to know?" His breath smelled and felt foul. He licked my ear, causing me to involuntarily exclaim in disgust and jerk my head away from him. He slapped me with his empty hand for that. I shook my head to clear it. I felt like I wanted to pass out again, he had hit me so hard. "You're going to have to stop being so delicate," he said smugly. "I know that they'll give you to me. You're not one of their favorite people right now." He clicked his tongue a couple of times. "You were a very bad boy." 363
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"It was worth it," I said. I knew what he was talking about. The Trustees must have been really angry with me. I guessed I'd done a lot more damage than I'd thought when I'd destroyed the servers. Enough so that they'd hurt me more than Murphy had. "Mmm. Will you think so after I punish you for it?" he asked. He went back to stroking my face with a finger, causing me to squish into the chest of the man holding me. Even so, I couldn't avoid his touch. My stomach churned, and I reacted instinctively. I pulled back my leg, and then I kicked him in the thigh more than where I had been aiming: his groin. Iida stumbled back, dropping the knife, and I tried to twist out of the grip of the man behind me. I thought that I had surprised him, because I was able to slip out of his grasp, my arms aching a bit from the way he had been holding me. I ran forward, more intent on trying to escape Iida than doing anything else. I wasn't proud. I knew when I was outclassed as a fighter, and I didn't want Iida to touch me again. It almost worked, except that I stumbled over the edge of a rug, and Iida was able to grab me by my hair, pulling me back against him, holding me with his arm across my throat. "I think that we're going to wait for those who showed up for you," he called out gleefully. I struggled, but he cut off my breath, making me feel like I was going to pass out from the lack of air. "I'm surprised that the great Inuzaka Keno tried to escape rather than kill me," he said. 364
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"I'm thinking of changing my mind," I gasped. I really hadn't. I was concentrating on breathing. He nuzzled the side of my face with his cheek, loosening his chokehold a little. His free hand lightly traced down my chest and stomach, lightly scratching me, before it snaked underneath my fundoshi, touching me where I really didn't want to be touched, his fingernails prickling me like claws. I let out a half-choked scream and stamped on one of his feet, which he ignored. All I did was hurt my bare foot on his heavy sandals. The two goons were grinning like idiots, and I vaguely heard the sounds of fighting in the hallway, even with the thick walls and heavy door. "Such a delicate blossom," Iida taunted me. "You...." I gasped, feeling stupid and helpless because I couldn't do anything to stop him from doing this to me. I thought about kicking him again when he tightened his grip on my privates. He laughed, licking the side of my face, making me jerk as far away as I could, ignoring the pain in my groin. "Keep still or you will regret it," he threatened. I felt the slow trickle of blood down my right leg after that and stood as still as possible. I had gotten the message: he'd really hurt me if he wanted to, and I was cowardly enough to want to avoid it, since I wanted to try to escape again. I knew I couldn't do that if he truly injured me. He'd just scratched my thigh or something this time. The door burst open, and I wanted to sink through the floor in embarrassment. Samojirou was there in armor with his katana drawn and covered with blood. One of the goons 365
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lunged at him, and he easily beheaded him, making it look almost like an afterthought. He took one look at what was happening and growled, "Let him go!" "I want to see how far Inuzaka is willing to go to make that happen," Iida laughed. When Iida said that, I could see the rage and the sorrow in Samojirou's eyes. I knew what he was afraid of. I was afraid of the same thing. Genpachi burst through the door behind him, his katana equally covered with blood, and took care of the other goon. A second behind him was Wolf, with his broadsword drawn, also blood spattered. "This is amusing," Iida said, ignoring the fact that his goons had just been killed. "I seem to have the upper hand here. I suggest that you put your weapons down." Samojirou took a step forward, his eyes wild, not bothering to lower his sword. Genpachi flicked the blood off his katana and sheathed it, circling to the right a bit. His eyes were watchful, and I knew that what he had done really wouldn't keep him from killing Iida if he wanted to. Wolf stepped into the room cautiously, and then he stopped, stunned by what he was seeing. "Keno," he said quietly. "I'm fine," I managed to get out before Iida tightened his grip on me, choking off my breath again. "Now that we have all the players here, I wonder how this part of the Game is going to end," Iida laughed. "You won't live through this," Samojirou vowed, his rage turning his voice ice cold. 366
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"Neither will he if you play this wrong," Iida said. He laughed again, and I wondered how sane the man was. This was something that sane people didn't do, baiting three men who were very willing to kill him. "Blossoms are very fragile." "What do you want?" Wolf asked. I didn't like the fear in his eyes. But I was glad too. He wasn't berserk. I didn't think I could have handled that. "I don't think you can give me what I want," Iida said with a high-pitched laugh. "What my master wants." "What are you talking about?" Samojirou demanded. "What do you think will happen when the Dreamlands goes to war? When those here destroy themselves with their fighting? While the Dreamlands just are, what do you think they are?" "What master do you serve?" Genpachi demanded. Iida laughed. "My master is called many things, some of which you might know. But all I will tell you is that he will revel in the Dreamlands' destruction and rebirth." "Rebirth?" Samojirou asked. "Your peace is what keeps the Dreamlands stable. That is why there are nothing more than skirmishes, for all that the Southern nations call out for war. War has come, and it will destroy you all!" Iida laughed and scratched me again with his nails. Wolf went still, his nostrils flaring. I heard a growl deep in his throat, I swear. I guessed that he'd just caught of whiff of my blood. I tried to swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. Wolf just screamed and threw himself at Iida. From the look on everyone's face, they hadn't expected he would do that. 367
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Iida stood his ground, using me as a shield, which was stupid, because the man was a head taller than I was. Mason limped into the room, clutching a katana he had gotten from somewhere. "For fuck's sake, not again!" he exclaimed. I threw myself forward, trying to make myself a smaller target, struggling to get out of Iida's hold, not caring what got broken in doing so. I felt his nails shift and dig into my left thigh. With my right foot, even though I was horribly off balance, I tried to kick him in the groin again. This time it worked, because his grip loosened, and I was able to get away. Wolf got one wild swing in as I hit the floor and rolled away from the two of them. I managed to get to my feet away from the fighting and head toward Mason. He handed me his katana without a word. Genpachi went into the corridor to take care of the second wave of fighters that had just arrived, seeing that Wolf was taking care of this problem. "Are you hurt?" Samojirou asked. "Just scratched up," I said as I winced, feeling the damage done to my thigh. "You go help Genpachi." "And you?" he asked. I looked at the fighting in front of me. Wolf was still swinging wildly, trying to get to Iida, who was dodging him with ease, letting him chase him around the room. He was blocking some of the blows with his knife, matching Wolf's wild strength easily. "I'm going to stay here, just in case he needs help," I told Samojirou softly. "When he's done with Iida." 368
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Our eyes met, and I lunged forward to kiss him. It was passionate and all too brief. Iida saw what we were doing and laughed wildly. "Will you still want your blossom when he's drenched in blood?" Samojirou whirled and went out into the corridor to help Genpachi. If he didn't, I thought that he'd have attacked Iida. But he knew that Wolf might think that it was a good idea to attack him too if he did that. Wolf ignored what we were doing, and I could almost admire his single-mindedness. Iida scooped up a katana, dropped his knife, and fell into a defensive position. Wolf circled around him, breathing heavily before moving in for the kill. He had calmed down a little, but I still didn't think he was going to be acting logically soon. "I didn't think that Wolf was so fond of you," Iida said with a smirk. "He is truly in love with you." "You're full of shit," Mason scoffed. "No offense, kid, but I don't think that he likes you that way." "I know," I said, trying not to feel miserable about it. If he had.... But I had Samojirou now, and that was better than anything I could have had with Wolf. But there was still a part of me that was attached to my first love. Wolf growled and swung wildly at him, wide swings that Iida parried easily. But he wasn't able to go on the offense, and Wolf was driving him toward the balcony. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. I wasn't surprised that Wolf wasn't saying anything, because he was too focused on trying to kill Iida. If this were a battle, this would have gotten Wolf killed. 369
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"I regret that I'm not going to see the end," Iida said, sounding breathless and tired. He almost sounded sad too. "This Game is a glorious one." He laughed. "Our wild one here is not going to like one of the players." I had a feeling the man wasn't talking about what most of the nobles here called the Game. It was like they were playing Go, and he had set them up to play chess or even poker, and they didn't know that. "What are you talking about?" I demanded. "A smart blossom," Iida said, backing away from Wolf. Part of me wanted Wolf to kill him and another part of me wanted to know what Iida was talking about. "You see more than the others." "We should try and stop Wolf, but I don't think that the fucker's worth it," Mason said behind me. "He's a bigger asshole than the Trustees are." "From the mouth of babes," Iida called out. That was the last thing he said. Wolf lunged forward and took the man's head, because Iida at last was unable to block one of those wild, powerful swings. Iida's body fell one way and his head went sailing out the balcony door. Iida's torso sprayed blood all over Wolf, and that seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he had been in. He looked down at himself in horror, before he looked over at us. "What happened?" "You went bugfuck again," Mason told him bluntly. "Killed that fucker Iida." The sounds of fighting had died down out in the corridor. "It's clear," Genpachi called out. 370
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Samojirou came back in the room, his sword sheathed, even though he was covered with blood and other detritus. He opened his mouth to say something when the building started to shake, as if there was an earthquake. "Time to leave," Genpachi announced, as if this was a party. "The Dreamlands do not have quakes," Samojirou said. "This is some sort of evil spell." "You don't have to tell me twice," Mason said. We all moved out into the corridor and picked our way around the bodies there. Some of them looked human. Others were more deformed than a tengu. The smell was terrible, and I felt the building disintegrating around us. We managed to get out just as the walls started to fall. If we had been on a floor higher than the third, we wouldn't have been able to make it out of there. Samojirou picked me up and carried me out. I buried my head into his neck and shook, because everything that had just happened was catching up with me. We stood in the empty lot next to where Iida had been keeping us, that building reduced to rubble. Samojirou kissed me, murmuring in my ear until I stopped shaking. After a minute, I heard Mason say, "Get a room." Genpachi started laughing, and soon we all joined him, relieved that we had gotten through this, at least. **** Samojirou
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I returned to Inumura's stronghold in Edo with the others. I didn't want to leave Keno just yet. I had almost lost him again. "I think that Kyushu's going to be more difficult to deal with than you thought," Keno told me quietly. He'd had his wounds tended to. They were not serious, but had been messy, since Iida had almost unmanned him with his nails. If he had been a little more to the right, he would have. Wolf had killed the honorless bastard too quickly and easily. He should heal without a scar, though. We were lying quietly in Keno's room now, wrapped around each other, needing to know we were safe. "Why?' I asked. "Something that Iida said," he said thoughtfully. "About Wolf not liking some of the players in the Game." "The man was mad." "I don't think that he was a man at all," Keno said. "He was something evil, worse than the monsters that live here." "Like myself?" I asked lightly. "You and Tamazusa-sama aren't evil," Keno asserted. "If you were, you would have told me about my ancestor." Before I could say anything, he leaned up and kissed me. I wasn't surprised when it became more involved, because I believed he was using his body to tell me something that he couldn't. He rolled me over on my back and started kissing his way down my neck, making the most amazing sounds as he did. He licked my chest, worshiping it almost, making small nips occasionally, causing me to writhe and gasp in pleasure. When he got to my staff, he licked it, twirling his 372
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tongue around it, and then licked and sucked on my sac. He eased me for a time, and then I lifted him up for a kiss. I tasted my sweat and seed on him, and it was more intoxicating than the headiest sake. "I want you," I groaned. "Take me," he whispered, rolling gracefully onto his back and spreading his legs. I studied him, hating the traces of Iida's scratches on his legs, but there was also an innocent wantonness about him. His staff was erect and curling toward his stomach, his sac was hard. I leaned over to taste him, smelling of his desire and herbs. He smiled at me and poured some oil on his fingers. I watched, enthralled, as he prepared himself for me, because I was afraid I would hurt him. He was moaning and whimpering as he worked three fingers into his opening slowly. His eyes were half-open, and all I could see was love in them. "I can't," he husked out. "Prepare me," I said. He dreamily withdrew his fingers and poured more oil on them, then caressed my shaft, oiling it thoroughly. I loomed above him and guided his left leg onto my shoulder, marveling at how flexible he was even as I pushed into him. I was in no hurry to end this, so I made sure that my pace was fast enough for him to enjoy, but not to bring him to climax. I held his wrists down by his sides so he couldn't touch himself and proceeded to kiss him breathless as I rocked in and out of him. "Please," he begged, sounding needy and shameless. I marveled at the changes a year had wrought in him. I knew 373
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that he wouldn't have been this way in the beginning, even after we had become intimate. "Please what?" I asked lazily. "Please... I'm close," he whined, begging delightfully. "So am I," I told him, getting a bit breathless myself. "And I will not be hurried." He whimpered deliciously until he came, a soft moan deep in his throat as he spilled. I relaxed then, coming with him, delighting in the fact that we had come together. I collapsed gently upon him, eventually shifting so that he was curled in my arms. "You don't have to go," he murmured. I thought about that. I didn't have to now, but I would soon. The Hakkenshi were gathering forces across Nippon to drive the invaders out. I just hoped it would be enough to save it from what I had learned from Iida. I did something so cowardly I should have been ashamed of myself. I kept silent and didn't remind my lover that while I might not be leaving now, I would leave him eventually. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Seventeen Tamazusa I was surprised to see Mason return with Aboshi from Inumura's castle. "Just wanted to make sure that you're all right," he said, trying to sit down gracefully in a kimono. All he managed to do was not expose himself to me. I've seen drunken merchants who were more graceful. But he was trying, and that was what was important. "And why wouldn't I be?" I asked. "Iida's forces have melted away, like the snow in spring." They had. His troops had fled in the night, returning to the sea, it seemed to me. Mawatari had committed seppuku. Okita had found his body in their camp. It looked like the man had not had a second and had died in agony after he opened his stomach. Now the Hakkenshi and I had to rally the other lords of Nippon to chase the Trust and the Southerners out of Kyushu. "It was you who seems to have been in trouble," I teased. "Fuck, that was embarrassing," he said. "Just don't give the kid shit about it. He kicked ass." "So I have been told," I said, stepping closer to him, smiling coyly at him. "And you have nothing to be ashamed about either." Mason grinned. "I knew there was a reason that I liked you." He sobered. "Iida was bugfuck insane. And shit, I think that there's something nasty hidden on Kyushu." 375
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"We will deal with that when we have to," I said. Then I sighed. "And now I have to convince the other lords that unifying under one banner is the only way we can save ourselves." "Hinaginu-san tried to explain that crap to me," Mason said. "I still don't understand shit about it. But are you going to be the big boss?" I laughed and shook my head. "I will leave that honor to Inusuka Shino. The Hakkenshi are clever strategists and are thought of as honorable men. I have a reputation for being none of those things. I will support whatever they decide." Mason nodded. "While I want Wolf to watch your ass, he lost it again, and that ain't good." He hesitated for a second. "Shit, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I think that Wolf would if he knew how. I think that the Trust shrink at Waltham really fucked him up. Stupid shit too. Something about Keno and bein' in love with him. I know that he don't swing that way, but he lost it when McGann got hurt and then when Keno got hurt. Before that? Fuck, he was like the iceman in a fight. So I don't know what to think. I know that he wouldn't want to tell you this, 'cause you still ain't his favorite person. But he's smart enough to know that you're able to take care of McGann. So, while he would be willing to protect you, I think that it's better that he stay with McGann and get his head on straight. I'm willing to cover you, but I know that everyone else here can kick my ass, including Sakura, probably with his makeup brush too." "I will think about what you have told me," I promised gravely. "And I am honored by your offer of protection." He 376
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looked so serious I couldn't help adding, "Because I know that all you want to watch is my ass." He gaped at me, shocked that I had used such language, I thought. He started laughing after a moment, amused by something else besides what I had said. **** Mason I didn't know whether I should be shocked or relieved that Tamazusa had used the word "ass" with me. Seriously, that coming out of her mouth made my day. I knew that we were in deep shit. I wasn't that stupid. The Trust held part of Nippon with the help of the Egyptians, and there were rumors that a couple more nations would be joining the party. From what that fucker Iida had said, that was something that was going to screw over all of the Dreamlands and not just Nippon. But there were good things too. Wolf and McGann seemed to have hooked up, even if he hadn't taken the big step of moving in with her at Inumura's place. I liked that, they were both nice kids, and I thought that she could help him with his little going-bug-fuck-in-a-fight issue, along with whatever other damage that asshole had done to him. That also got Helga off his ass, because the bitch seemed absolutely terrified of him now. Tholf wasn't quite treating him like he was dynamite, but it was damned close. In their culture, being a berserker was a big thing. Me, I was waiting for the day he moved out of my room and into McGann's. 377
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Keno and Samojirou seemed to be doing all right. I didn't know how either of them were going to handle the issue with the Trust fucking up Wolf and making him think that he was playing for their team now, at least in regards with Keno. Shit, Keno and Samojirou were so in love, they were having a hard time keeping their hands off each other. They'd figure out something to do. They both were smart guys. And I liked it here. Granted, the beer was crap, and there were no sports teams, but the sake and having a family again made up for it. I think that Fuse got a kick out of me calling her "Mom." I wasn't so ballsy that I called Yatsufusa "Dad," but I was working up to it. I really didn't want to go back to working for the Trust, and not because the assholes tried to kill me. People here were good people and not the monsters I had been told they were. They thought the Hakarl were vermin to be taken care of, just like I did. I wanted to help them, as odd as that sounded, help them in this war and with those fucking monsters. What the Trustees were trying to do needed to be stopped. Because the organization that had been created to fight monsters had turned into a monster itself. And fuck, that was what I did, what I was supposed to do: fight monsters. So I was going to fight them in any way that I could. **** Keno Mason, McGann, Wolf, and I stayed at Inumura's castle in Edo. Tamazusa didn't want us to move back to her kuni until the war was over. She wants us—me—to be safe in Edo. 378
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I didn't know what I was going to do with the information that Wolf might like me more than he realized. As in "thinks that I'm an adult and wants to have sex with me" like. Now that it could happen, I wasn't interested anymore. Wolf would always be my first love, as one sided as it had been, and the man I had hoped I would share my first kiss with, my first time with, instead of Heiseg raping me. But I realized that while I loved Wolf, and still did in a way, it was a child's love or a dream. What I had with Samojirou was real. It was the love between two men. And I was the man that I was today because of Samojirou. I thought Mason was supposed to babysit me, but I seemed to be taking care of him. I was starting to teach him how to fight with a bokken. That kept me busy and amused the samurai who are assigned here. I guessed that was because when I wasn't on the field with them during morning practice, I was in Sakura's female persona. I was doing that so that everyone in Nippon would forget Inuzaka Keno had ever existed. I knew that was a cowardly thing to do, but I didn't want to be him ever again. My ancestor and I had caused me more trouble and pain than I ever wanted to think about. I just wanted to be Samojirou's Sakura. Samojirou claimed that he understood the way I felt, but I knew he didn't. Nippon was gathering their forces together, going to Kyushu to drive the Trust and the Southerners out. The fighting was going to be horrific, and I knew Samojirou would be in the middle of it. That filled me with fear, and I hated that I could not... would not join him on the battlefield. As 379
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much as I wanted to, I knew that should never happen. I knew I would never put down a katana again, were I to pick one up to fight. And it would not be because of my ancestor's reputation, but because I would not want to stop, because I would become a mad dog that needed to be put down. And it would break Samojirou's heart, something that I would never do again. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Don't Miss the Beginning DREAMLANDS By Felicitas Ivey **** ...a fantastic read, sure to thrill readers of the genre. —Literary Nymphs This debut novel from a new author is a stunning piece of work. Intricately plotted with fascinating world building and creative characters, this story captures interest immediately and carries it through to the end. —Rainbow Reviews [Back to Table of Contents]
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Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
Felicitas Ivey is the pen name of a very frazzled helpdesk drone at a Boston-area university. She's an eternal student even with a BA in anthropology and history, since free classes are part of the benefits. She's taken courses on gothic architecture, premodern Japanese literature, and witchcraft, just because they sounded like fun. She has traveled to Japan and Europe and hopes to return to both in the future. She knits and cross-stitches avidly, much to the disgust of her cat, Smaugu, who wants her undivided attention. He's also peeved that she spends so much time writing instead of petting him. She writes urban fantasy and horror of a Lovecraftian nature, monsters beyond space and time that think that humans are the tastiest things in the multiverse. Felicitas lives in Boston with her beloved husband, known to all as The Husband, and the aforementioned cat, whom the husband swears is a demon, even though it's his fault that they have the cat. The husband also is worried about Felicitas's anime habit, her love for J-Pop music, and her extensive collection of yaoi manga and Gundam Wing doujinshi, which has turned her library into a Very Scary Place for him. Visit her blogs at IveysTales.livejournal.com and felicitas ivey.dreamwidth.org, and her web site at felicitasivey.com. You can e-mail her at
[email protected]. [Back to Table of Contents]
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Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Back to the Dream Copyright (C) 2010 by Felicitas Ivey Cover Art by Anne Cain
[email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ ISBN: 978-1-61581-620-0 Printed in the United States of America First Edition 383
Back to the Dream by Felicitas Ivey
October, 2010 eBook edition available eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-621-7
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